A New York mother is still fighting for justice nearly a decade after her 6-week-old son died in a baby product that was later recalled. Kiersten Connolly, who gave birth to twins Jameson and Dorothy in 2015, says the Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play Sleepers were a helpful tool for her and her fiancé, James Hatch, as they tried to get some rest.
On May 16, 2015, Hatch placed the babies in their Rock n’ Plays. A few hours later, Connolly heard a scream that would change her life forever. “I think I just knew,” she recalled. Her son, Jameson, had stopped breathing while asleep.
“I feel like it took my life. It took everything from me,” Connolly said, describing the overwhelming grief she felt.
For over a year, Connolly sought answers, but none came. Jameson’s death certificate listed the cause of death as undetermined. The situation remained unclear until 2019 when Connolly learned that Fisher-Price had voluntarily recalled the Rock n’ Play Sleeper—the same product her son died in.
“The anger I felt was … it was my whole body,” Connolly said, recalling the moment. The recall came after reports linking the product to over 100 infant deaths since 2012. A study commissioned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found the incline of the sleeper contributed to a higher risk of suffocation.
A congressional investigation later revealed that Fisher-Price had failed to ensure the product was safe before its release and that the company had been aware of infant deaths linked to the Rock n’ Play as early as 2012. Despite warnings from the CPSC in 2018, it took over a year for the product to be recalled.
Fisher-Price’s parent company, Mattel, did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment. However, attorney Regina Calcaterra, who represents several families, including Connolly’s, criticized the company. “They knew for years that infants were dying and not disclosing it,” she said. “Many other infants died during that time.”
In a settlement last year, Mattel did not admit guilt but reached agreements with several families. Connolly’s case was dismissed due to New York’s two-year statute of limitations. The company argued Connolly should have filed her case before May 2017, two years before the recall.
“They’re actually weaponizing the statute of limitations,” Calcaterra said, alleging that the company concealed information for years, preventing families from filing cases.
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also pointed to flaws in the system that allowed such tragedies to happen. He criticized a law that prevents the CPSC from issuing public safety warnings without the manufacturer’s approval. “There’s really no effective oversight of baby products before they’re used by your infant,” Blumenthal said. “This system is broken.”
Connolly, who has found strength for her two surviving children, continues her fight for justice despite her personal loss. Tragically, her fiancé, consumed by grief, died by suicide two years after Jameson’s passing.
Though Connolly lost her recent appeal, she vowed to continue her fight. “I will never stop this fight,” she said, determined to seek justice for her children.
In response to the congressional investigation, Mattel told CBS News that it disagreed with several parts of the findings and maintained that the Rock n’ Play met all regulatory standards.
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