A 22-year-old Federal Way man faces a second-degree manslaughter charge for allegedly causing the death of his 4-month-old baby by his criminally negligent actions.
Elijah Jamal Pendleton Brown is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 in the GA Courtroom of the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He remained in custody Sept. 1 at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $450,000, according to jail records.
Brown reportedly told Federal Way Police detectives during a Feb. 24, 2026 interview that he placed the baby boy in a swaddle with his arms cinched to his sides inside their unit at the Crestwood West Apartments, 27904 Pacific Highway S., according to charging documents filed Aug. 27. He then placed the baby, face down in a sleeping device akin to a straight jacket, and walked away.
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jocelyn Cooney wrote in charging documents that any competent parent knows you do not leave a 4-month-old baby unattended for any meaningful period unless they are in a safe and secure location. Cooney noted Brown had other options, with two separate pack and plays in the apartment.
“Despite this, the defendant decided to keep his child face down with no ability to push himself up,” Cooney wrote. “This resulted in his 4-month-old suffocating to death without any way to save himself. The defendant failed to be aware a substantial risk a wrongful act may occur and his failure to be aware of that risk was a substantial and gross deviation from the standard of care a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation.”
Cooney said the state acknowledges it took about six months to file this case. She said it was because the state was waiting a necessary DNA results from the Washington State Toxicology lab.
“This DNA corroborates the statements made by the defendant and does show the baby was placed on the boppy pillow,” Cooney wrote.
The incident
Federal Way Police responded at about 1:01 p.m. Feb. 24, 2026 to the Crestwood West Apartments after the baby’s mother called 911 to report a CPR in progress on a 4-month-old baby, according to charging papers.
The first officer to arrive found the baby lying on the floor inside the apartment and was unresponsive. The officer began lifesaving measures before South King Fire medics took over lifesaving measures. But their efforts were unsuccessful and the baby was declared deceased at about 1:29 p.m.
South King Fire personnel told an officer that they believed the baby had been dead at least 30 minutes prior to their arrival.
A records check of the mother showed she was the protected person in a confirmed domestic violence no-contact order. The order from the Federal Way Municipal Court was issued on Sept. 12, 2025 and expires Sept. 12, 2030, according to charging papers. Brown was the restrained person in the order. He is not permitted to be within 1,000 feet of the woman or her residence, which is where the baby was found.
Officers found Brown hiding nearby inside of a brown Lexus parked in front of the building where the incident occurred. Officers took Brown into custody for violation of the no-contact order.
During an interview with detectives, Brown said that he primarily cares for the baby and would feed and change his diaper. After finding the baby unresponsive, Brown said he tried to give CPR while the mother called 911. Brown said he left the apartment because he knew he wasn’t supposed to be there with the order violation.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the baby died of asphyxia due to an obstruction of the external airway and the manner of death was an accident.
