A COUPLE have been accused of starving their six-week-old son to death after their baby weighed just 5lb when he died - a pound less than when he was born.

Kanaan Leon Compton was born last Christmas Eve but appeared malnourished when paramedics and police were called to the couple’s home in February after he was having trouble breathing.

Phillip Thomas Leon Compton, 31, and Jessica Alice Cook, 33, both of Crystal City, Missouri, have now been charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death.

According to a police report, Compton told investigators he believed his son was fine “due to him and Ms Cook both being very skinny,” but tragically the infant was pronounced dead less than an hour later at a hospital in Festus.

Although it is common for newborn babies to lose weight in the weeks after their birth, Compton admitted his son had not had a bowel movement in more than five days.

Compton said he "thought his wife was feeding him" and also believed she had made appointments with a doctor but those visits were later cancelled, rescheduled or missed altogether.

Compton’s mother had also previously contacted him to tell him that Kanaan looked thin and needed medical attention after seeing a photograph of the boy on social media.

An autopsy later found that the boy died of malnutrition and probable dehydration.

But an attorney for Compton told The St Louis Dispatch that his client was unaware that the boy wasn’t being fed regularly.

Attorney Lenny Kagan said: “He worked full time and was only assuming his wife was feeding his child.

“He is a first-time parent and a good guy. His life has been turned upside down. It’s 100 per cent a tragic accident. Phillip is devastated. The family is devastated.”

Police say Compton failed to make a doctor’s appointment after Cook said Kanaan appeared to be too thin. According to court records, he also stayed in bed as the boy made “unfamiliar choking noises”.

It’s unclear why the charges were filed more than ten months after the boy’s death. Kanaan is survived by two brothers, according to the boy’s obituary.

Crystal City Police Chief Chad Helms said: “It was a very difficult incident to deal with,

"They’ve continually stayed focused and tried to find the answers.”

Cook, who did not have an attorney listed in court records, remained jailed Tuesday after a judge set bail for her and Compton at $50,000 cash, the Post-Dispatch reports.