Coplay woman charged in 2-month-old daughter’s death, was taking drugs before co-sleeping with child, DA says | Allentown Area

COPLAY, Pa. – Authorities say a 35-year-old Coplay woman is charged in the death of her 2-month-old daughter.

Katrina Pantuso, 35, of Coplay, was arraigned March 13 on felony charges of Involuntary Manslaughter, Endangering the Welfare of Children and a misdemeanor charge of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, according to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

Around 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025, Coplay Borough Police Chief Ryan Emerich responded to the 100 block of S. Front St. in the borough for a report of an infant not breathing, the DA’s office said.

Despite efforts from first responders at the scene, the infant was pronounced dead at an area hospital, according to the DA’s office.

The DA’s office said the infant died from Probable Asphyxia and the manner of death could not be determined by the Lehigh County Coroner.

She told police she had been co-sleeping with the child in her bed, according to the news release. Next to the bed, police found a bassinette as well as a leafy substance suspected to be marijuana on a nearby desk, the DA’s office said.

Authorities say Pantuso’s blood was tested on the day of her daughter’s death and showed positive results for the presence of methamphetamine, cannabinoids and methadone.

An autopsy completed by a doctor with Forensic Pathology Associates also lists the infant’s cause of death to be Probable Asphyxia, authorities said.

The autopsy notes the “combination of bed sharing in an adult bed with pillows and blankets with an adult under the influence of a sedating medication such as methadone and a lividity pattern consistent with face-down positioning suggests that the death may have occurred due to asphyxia and/or overlay,” the DA’s office said.

According to the DA’s office, the report also noted injuries the child had on her face and scalp that may have been caused by overlay but noted “inflicted head trauma cannot be excluded.”

Pantuso’s cellphone was analyzed by the Officer David M. Petzold Memorial Digital Forensics Laboratory of Lehigh County.

Messages were recovered showing Pantuso had used drugs the day of her daughter’s death and there were previous occasions she had fed the infant and fallen asleep, dropping the victim on the floor, the DA’s office said.

Evidence showed that Pantuso had been warned several times about co-sleeping and educated about the dangers of doing so, authorities said.

According to the DA’s office, the investigation also revealed that the bassinette found next to the bed had been provided to Pantuso as part of the effort to prevent her from co-sleeping with the infant.

Back in 2017, Pantuso was one of two people who were accused of assaulting a woman, sending her to the hospital. She was found guilty of simple assault and use/possession of drugs in that case.