BENTONVILLE -- A Rogers couple pleaded not guilty to charges of causing their child's death when sleeping with him.
Vincent Heyns, 24, and Emily Heyns, 21, are charged with charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a minor. They each entered not guilty pleas at their Monday arraignments before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green.
They are each being held on a $100,000 bond in the Benton County Jail.
Benton County Sheriff's Office deputies received a call about a nonresponsive child at 12671 Scenic Drive in Rogers a little after 2 p.m. Nov. 1, according to court documents.
Emily Heyns said she, her grandfather Robert Rose and Vincent Heyns were in the home when they realized the child wasn't breathing, according to the probable cause affidavit. She said she and her husband stayed up late watching television and went to bed between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday.
She said the baby woke about the same time. They fed him, and then the couple and the child went to sleep. She said the baby was lying in their bed with them and was in her husband's arms, according to the affidavit.
During interviews, the couple said they had been smoking marijuana after authorities noticed marijuana paraphernalia in the house, according to the affidavit.
The couple disagreed on how much they smoked after returning from trick-or-treating Monday night. Emily Heyns said they smoked a "bowl" while Vincent Heyns said they smoked "a bowl or two; more like two bowls, one for each movie we watched," according to the affidavit.
Vincent Heyns confirmed they had gone trick-or-treating and watched movies until the morning.
He said the child was lying on his chest. He said he woke up and the baby "shimmied" down his chest and his face was pressed into the right side of his chest. "I think I squished him," Vincent Heyns said, according to the affidavit.
Rose said when he went to bed, the couple was still awake and the baby was in the bedroom. He said he woke up at 2 p.m. and knocked on the bedroom door because he hadn't heard the baby, according to the affidavit.
He said they uncovered the child and he was fine. Rose then left the room, and a few minutes later, Emily Heyns came screaming for him saying, "Pa Pa, he's gone, we lost another one," according to the affidavit. Rose said he told Vincent Heyns to call 911, and he started CPR.
On July 13, 2021, deputies were called to the same address to investigate the death of a 4-month-old child. An investigation revealed the Heynses were both sleeping with the child, who was in Vincent Heyns' arms when he died, according to the affidavit.
Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith previously said it's not illegal to sleep with your child. The reckless conduct comes from being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said.