SHAMOKIN – Endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering charges have been filed against Shamokin parents stemming from the Oct. 13 death of their 8-week-old son.
Jax Mark Garancheski was found unresponsive in a bed with his father, Brandon Mark Garancheski, 27, and was pronounced dead later that morning at Geisinger-Shamokin Community Hospital.
The baby’s mother, Patricia Ann Zimmerman, 30, told police that Jax was born prematurely on Aug. 17. He was a twin and had medical problems but was doing better recently, she said.
This is her account of what occurred taken from the arrest affidavit:
She and Garancheski, who she described as her boyfriend, were still up at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13 when she fed Jax several ounces of baby formula.
About 2:30 a.m. she gave Jax to Garancheski who had gone upstairs to watch television while she went back downstairs to sleep with his twin.
She woke up at 5 and 8:30 a.m. due to a relative and her friend moving about getting the older children ready for school.
When she went upstairs about 10:30 she discovered Jax on the bed with her boyfriend’s right arm over his face. Jax had blue skin and lips and was unconscious.
Garancheski gave this account, the affidavit states:
He returned to the residence in the 500 block of South Seventh Street after work on Oct. 12 and slept until Zimmerman and her five children returned from cheerleading practice about 7:30 p.m.
He ran an errand at 11 p.m. and when he got home between 12:30 and 1:30 a.m. he went upstairs with Jax and his twin to watch television. Zimmerman later took the other child downstairs.
He fed Jax and the two fell asleep about 3:30 a.m. with the infant lying on his chest. He awoke about 10 a.m. to Zimmerman screaming and holding the baby.
Garancheski’s urine test produced a positive result for methamphetamine, but police said he claimed the last time he had used the drug was Oct. 9 in Philadelphia.
He contended he had not used any drugs since he returned home two days later, the affidavit states.
The charges state without explanation that Garancheski was not to be alone with Jax because of a Northumberland County Children and Youth Services investigation.
Zimmerman is accused of allowing Garancheski to be unsupervised with their son knowing that was not permitted.
District Judge John Gembic set bail at $30,000 for Garancheski but he has been in jail since Oct. 13 as a parole violator in an unrelated Snyder County case. Zimmerman has not been arraigned.
More:
Man seeking DNA testing he says will clear him of 1986 homicide turns to Pa. Supreme Court
Decomposed body of man found in the Susquehanna River east of Montoursville