Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Friday evening, that a southeastern Iowa woman was arrested Friday in connection with the July 7th, 2016 death of her infant son. 23-year old Angel Poole, of Birmingham (IA), was taken into custody on warrant for Child Endangerment Causing Death. Poole was being held in the Van Buren County Jail on $15,000 bond, pending an initial court appearance.

Authorities say that at around 3:30-a.m. July 7th, Poole called 911 to say her 67-day-old son, Judah Wessels, was having difficulty breathing.  The child was transported by ambulance to the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, where he was pronounced dead a little over an hour later. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office (VBSO) launched an investigation and requested the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

An autopsy was conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, Iowa.  The autopsy revealed Judah Wessels was “markedly malnourished”.  The cause of Wessels’ death has been ruled to be due to “starvation and dehydration.”  The manner of death “undetermined” by the medical examiner.

After a joint investigation by the Iowa DCI, VBSO, Van Buren County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, officials secured an arrest warrant for Angel Poole. She was arrested Friday at her residence.