Hibbing man faces manslaughter charge after nephew's death

A Hibbing man is facing manslaughter, theft and drug charges after a residential fire that killed his 11-month-old nephew.

Jesse Lee Bonacci-Koski, 24, was supposed to be taking care of his brother's son while the child's parents were out. But when the boy's home in Tower, Minn., caught fire the morning of Aug. 2, the child was found dead in his crib and the home was otherwise unoccupied.

An autopsy showed the baby had soot in his esophagus, stomach and upper and lower airways.

Later that morning, police say Bonacci-Koski was spotted driving a Jeep that was later reported stolen.

He was arrested by sheriff's deputies near a spot where the Jeep had run off the road south of Tower. According to the charges, Bonacci-Koski told police he'd left his brother's home for several hours to buy drugs and returned to find firefighters there. Police later found methamphetamine in his backpack.

Bonacci-Koski was charged Monday and made an initial court appearance in Virginia, Minn.