The Centers for Disease Control reports more than 3,500 infants in the United States go to sleep and never wake up. Data shows it’s happening at an alarming rate in northwest Georgia, prompting a plea to parents from a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reports an average of three babies die every week from sleep-related causes.

The GBI says that they have worked 69 child deaths in the 12 county northwest Georgia region over the last five years. More than half of those deaths were from co-sleeping.

The CDC and Georgia Department of Public Health recommend the following steps to prevent infant death while sleeping:

• No extra things in the baby’s crib
• Have the baby sleep on their back and alone in the crib
• Parents should be close to the crib – but still separate from the sleeping child