INDIANAPOLIS — A 4-month-old boy suffocated in his crib on a Burger King Pokémon ball — a toy that had been recalled nationally after a similar death last month.
Zachary Jones was found dead Tuesday.
"It's hard to believe that you go get the kids something to eat and you bring home a lethal toy," said Michael Jones, the boy's grandfather.
The toy — a hollow red-and-white plastic ball that is about the size of a tennis ball and opens clamshell-style — had been left in Zachary's crib by his step-grandmother, said Deputy Police Chief Lana Schneider of suburban Lawrence. She came back later to find the boy with half the ball covering his nose and mouth, Schneider said.
"A 4-month-old baby cannot move things from their face, and basically it suffocated," Schneider said.
The balls were given away by Burger King in children's meals, with a Pokémon toy inside the sphere. The toys and balls contained no warning, and the packaging described them as "safety tested and recommended for all ages."
Burger King recalled millions of them Dec. 27, after a girl in Sonora, Calif., suffocated in her playpen Dec. 11 with half a ball over her nose and mouth.
Schneider said Zachary's family knew nothing of the recall.
"We thought we were safe," said Sheila Jones, the boy's step-grandmother.
Burger King spokesman Charles Nicolas said the restaurant chain widely publicized the recall, posting signs in restaurants, sending notices to pediatricians and taking out a full-page ad in USA Today.
"In December we did publicize the safety hazard with the Poké balls," Nicolas said. "We're exploring further options now that we can do to make parents aware of this safety hazard for children under 3."
The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission will issue another nationwide Thursday about the balls, spokesman Russ Rader said. He said Burger King would also run radio and newspaper ads to warn consumers.