Jonathan J. Colby

ALLEGAN, MI – The night he died, 3-month-old Jase Colby slept in a cockroach-infested portable crib with a 102-degree fever while his parents sat up smoking marijuana, according to court documents.

The infant also suffered abuse at the hands of his 22-year-old father who told detectives that fatigue and frustration led him to hit, slap and choke the infant, an Allegan County sheriff's detective testified this week.

"Jase's bassinet was full of blankets and cockroaches and this was where he was put down to sleep on Dec. 2, 2014," Michigan Department of Human Services investigator Susan Runkel said in a petition alleging neglect that was filed Dec. 3 in Allegan County Circuit Court.

Runkel's report and petition came the same day that Jase was found unresponsive in his crib inside the mobile home he shared with his 1-year-old brother and parents, Jonathan Colby and Gloria Mooney, in the 1200 block of Starlite Drive in Allegan.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the home at about 1:25 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a report that Jase had been found unresponsive and was not breathing. The baby was taken from the scene to Allegan General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Jonathan Colby, meanwhile, has been charged with first-degree child abuse in connection with his son's death. He was arraigned Friday in district court and ordered held on a $500,000 cash/surety bond.

Sheriff's Detective Mark Lytle, who obtained an arrest warrant for Colby on Wednesday, testified that investigators learned from a medical examiner that Jase suffered a cracked skull and injuries consistent with "strangulation and suffocation."

Lytle told District Court Magistrate Kirby J. Goodwin that during an interview with detectives Colby "admitted to hitting, slapping and choking his son on several different occasions, especially on the night of his son's death because he was tired and frustrated."

Investigators said Friday that additional charges against Colby could be forthcoming as the investigation continues.

Runkel described conditions in the Starlite Drive mobile home as "deplorable" and says that she found "little to no food" inside Wednesday and "marijuana was found in plain sight, accessible to children and not locked up."

The petition says that Colby and Mooney were the subjects of a previous investigation by Children's Protective Services in August and told then "they could not be under the influence at the same time and there needed to be a sober caretaker in the home."

"The home where the family resides is in deplorable condition with cockroaches all over the floors, walls, in the walls and in clothing, additional bugs throughout the home, and dog feces throughout," Runkel said. "Gloria and Jonathan report they received notification from their trailer park that there was Ecoli in their water. Gloria and Jonathan did not remove their children from their home or make any attempts to make sure they were drinking healthy water."

Runkel included photos taken Dec. 3 inside the home with her petition. One of the photos shows the portable crib where Jase was found unresponsive. A folding camping chair sits next to the crib.

A second photo shows a master bathroom sink cluttered with items, including shampoo bottles, a razor, a cracker wrapper, bottles of baby bath wash, children's cold medicine and dog food.

A third photo shows a cup that Runkel's report says was found near the stove in the home. The cup is filled with grease and cockroaches.

The couple's 1-year-old son, Anthany, was placed in the custody of DHS Wednesday and a judge said Mooney and Colby can have supervised visits pending a preliminary hearing Dec. 15 in circuit court.

Colby is being represented in the neglect case by Allegan attorney Paul Klein while Mooney is being represented by attorney Christopher Burnett, also of Allegan. Attorney Christopher T. Antkoviak is guardian ad-litem in the case.

Meanwhile, Colby is scheduled to be back in district court Dec. 16 for a hearing on evidence against him in the child abuse case.

Rex Hall Jr. is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. You can reach him at rhall2@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter.