Couple arrested after infant found dead at home in horrible conditions

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live/Gray News) - A North Dakota couple is facing three counts of child neglect following the death of their 3-month-old baby.

Court documents have revealed disturbing details about the conditions that the couple’s three children were forced to live in.

Officials also detailed the presence of methamphetamine in one of their children’s system.

Fargo police were called to the couple’s residence on July 26, 2024, after Nickolas Shearer told officials his baby wasn’t breathing.

First responders arrived, but stopped lifesaving efforts because the 3-month-old was cold to the touch, had discolored skin and showed signs of being deceased, according to police.

The parents, Nickolas and Alie Shearer, allowed officers into the home while their other two children, a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old, were taken into protective custody.

Court documents say officers couldn’t open the door to the apartment all the way because of the amount of garbage blocking the walkway. Police also noted that they had a hard time even getting to the victim, having to maneuver past piles of garbage.

The apartment reportedly smelled like rotten food. Some food was spread throughout the apartment and splattered on the walls.

The 3-month-old victim was wearing a diaper that was overflowing with feces and urine when police arrived. Flies were visibly coming out of the diaper, investigators noted.

They also say the apartment was set to 80 degrees with a thermometer on the wall reading 82.

A further search of the apartment revealed clutter throughout the apartment, with the smell of feces and rotten food present.

Dirty dishes were also allegedly piled throughout the apartment and rotten food was found inside the kitchen refrigerator, according to court documents.

Investigators interviewed the parents about what led to the infant’s death, with both admitting that their apartment was not suitable for children, the court filing states.

Nickolas Shearer allegedly said Alie Shearer propped a bottle of formula upright on its own with a blanket to feed the baby that was on the couch. Hours later, the victim was found unresponsive.

An autopsy on the baby determined that the cause of death was “unexplained sudden infant death with intrinsic factors,” and the manner of death was “undetermined.”

A toxicology report revealed that the couple’s 1-year-old tested positive for methamphetamines via a hair follicle test. The other two children tested negative.

Both parents denied any recent drug use in the home, but did admit to previous use.

The toxicology report also revealed the presence of cotinine in the victim, which forms when the body breaks down nicotine.

A phone download revealed a text message just hours before the victim was found unresponsive, saying, “I think it was pop,” with no other context. Alie Shearer indicated in an interview that the two would give another one of their children pop to clear up congestion, but denied giving any to the infant.

Both are now charged with three counts of felony child neglect. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Oct. 1.

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This story has corrected the identity of the child that tested positive for methamphetamine.