Fargo, ND (Valley News Live) – A Fargo couple faces three counts of neglecting a child after a three-month-old baby dies.
Court documents also reveal disturbing details about the conditions in which their three children were forced to live, as well as the presence of methamphetamine in one of the children's systems.
Fargo police were called to the couple's residence on July 26, 2024 after Nickolas Shearer told officials that his child was not breathing. When they arrived, first responders stopped trying to save lives because the three-month-old touched and had discolored skin, which was a sign of deceased. Parents, Nickolas and Alie Shearer, allowed officers to enter, while two other children and the one-year-old were detained.
The officers were unable to open the apartment doors all the time because garbage blocked the sidewalk. They also pointed out that even when they reach the victim, they have a hard time and have to manipulate the pile of garbage. The apartment reportedly smelled like rotten food, with all kinds of food on it, some rotten, scattered throughout the apartment and splashed on the walls.
The three-month-old victim wore a diaper with feces and urine flowing from it, and flies emanated from it. They also said that the apartment was set at 80 degrees and the thermometer on the wall was 82.
Further searches of the apartment revealed a lot of chaos throughout the apartment, which was filled with feces and rotten food. Dirty vegetables were scattered throughout the apartment and rotten food was found in the kitchen refrigerator. Court documents state that all described conditions are within the scope of all three children.
Investigators interviewed parents about the cause of the baby’s death, and they all admitted that their apartment was not suitable for children. Nickolas said Alie individually supported a bottle of formula with a blanket to feed the baby lying on the sofa. They said a few hours later, the victim was found to have no response.
The autopsy of the baby determines the cause of death as “unexplained sudden death, the inherent factor is the inherent factor”, and the method of death is “uncertain”. A toxicology report shows that their one-year-old tested positive for methamphetamine in a hair follicle test. The other two children tested negative. Both parents denied any recent use of medications at home, but did admit to previous drug use.
Toxicology reports also reveal the presence of cotinine in the victims, a metabolite of nicotine that forms when the body breaks down nicotine.
The phone download only showed a text message hours before the victim was found unresponsive, saying “I think it’s popular” and nothing else. Alie pointed out in an interview that when two children are crowded to clear traffic, they give another child a popular trend, but denies giving the baby to anyone.
The two are now charged with three counts of felony child neglect, after being arrested on August 14, 2024. Both have preliminary hearings scheduled for October 1.
**This story was updated on August 26 at 7:57 pm to correctly identify which child tested positive for methamphetamine**
Alie and Nickolas Shearer(kvly)
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