News

Actions

Officers reunite with choking infant they saved

Posted at 10:04 AM, Oct 10, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-10 10:04:36-04

When baby Audrey stopped breathing on September 30, three deputies rushed to help her. On Sunday, they were by her side again.

“It was unbelievably heartwarming to be invited back, and amazing to see how far she has progressed since last Sunday,” said Deputy Jonathan Zacharkiw, according to a statement from the Clackamas County, Oregon sheriff’s office.

When Deputies Zacharkiw, Dan Olson and Jonah Russell first met baby Audrey, she was pale and unresponsive.

Audrey was just a week old when she stopped breathing in her parents arms at a local mall. Zacharkiw, Olson and Russell received the emergency call and ran through the mall to aid the family.

The trio immediately stepped in and began CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

“Deputy Zacharkiw performed chest compressions while Deputy Olson checked the infant’s airway with his finger. Deputy Russell stabilized Audrey’s head, keeping her neck arched and airway open,”the sherrif’s office said in the statement released Tuesday.

“Deputy Zacharkiw turned Audrey over on her stomach and performed a burping chest pat to remove fluid from the baby’s airway,” the statement said. “After he flipped Audrey back over, Deputy Russell used a Bulbous nose sucker to extract fluid from the infant’s nose.”

Audrey was rushed to the hospital and is still in intensive care, but her condition is steadily improving, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities believe she chocked on fluids, causing her to stop breathing.

On Sunday, Audrey’s parents, Kaylob Harmon and Jessie Siefer, invited the three deputies who saved their daughter’s life to visit her at the hospital.

“Kaylob told us he wanted a picture to show Audrey one day of the guys who saved her life,” said Deputy Zacharkiw.