When Zachary Koehn called 911 on the afternoon of August 30, 2017, reporting his infant son appeared to be dead, first responders could never have guessed the horror that awaited them. In the back bedroom of an apartment in Alta Vista, Iowa, separate from the room shared by Zachary, his girlfriend Cheyanne, and their twenty-month-old daughter sat a powered infant swing, facing the back wall of the room. In that swing was the body of four-month-old Sterling Koehn, emaciated, stiff with rigor, the soft spots on his head sunken from dehydration. His diaper hadn’t been changed in several days, which had attracted flies, and the filthy blankets and clothing covering Sterling’s body crawled with maggots. 

This is the story of a baby boy whose parents valued their meth use and the care of their toddler daughter over the life of their newborn son. It’s also the story of a little boy who was doomed from the start but whose tragically short life touched the hearts of people around the world and who will never be forgotten.

This is part one of the horrific story of Sterling Koehn.

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This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

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