Sandra Chapman/13 Investigates
Arcadia - The bunk bed that collapsed onto a sleeping two-year-old Sunday was not meant to be used by children that age.
13 Investigates has learned of the age and weight restrictions on the bunk bed involved in this weekend's accident that killed two-year-old Carmon Huffman.
On Sunday morning, while their mother worshipped at Trinity Wesleyan Church in Tipton, Carmon was found covered with blankets, pillows and the bottom of her brother's top bunk bed. It gave way as the toddlers slept.
"Either by him bouncing or climbing around," according to Arcadia Town Marshal Mitch Russell, "it collapsed on top of the two-year old - his sister - and at that point suffocated her."
13 Investigates found similar beds advertised on the internet as a "Two-Infant Bunkie" or a "Bunk Bed Style Crib." Vendors selling the beds say they're manufactured by two companies - Whitney Brothers and the Windsor Company, also called American Church Furnishings.
In bold print on a vendor web site are recommendations: "The stackable cribs are designed and built for sleeping infants up to 30-inches long and under 30-pounds. The beds are not for toddlers over 18-months."
The Huffman twins were two-and-a-half-years-old. Russell said Carmon weighed approximately 27 pounds, her brother just over 30 pounds.
"You have to understand that this bed does not have slats in it like a normal bed would have," Russell said. "The bottom has a two-foot-by-three-foot cardboard -- not cardboard - but it's a wood-pressed bottom."
The beds are typically marketed to church daycares or nurseries. According to Russell, the beds came from the family's Tipton Church.
The Senior Pastor at Trinity says the beds were in storage until 2004 when the twins were born. He said the church never had a problem with the furniture and the bunks were purchased well before he began his ministry in Tipton.
13 Investigates found no recalls by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for these particular beds.
A spokesperson from the CPSC said the agency is aware of the child's death and will work with local officials and the family as part of an investigation.
The family's minister says they are relying on faith to get through the tragedy.
And Investigators warn consumers to check out product recommendations on-line or elsewhere before using second-hand products.
