Left to right: Sintia Perez and Jace Hirschy (Adams County Sheriff’s Office).
Two Indiana parents are behind bars after their toddler died in a closet warmed by a space heater late last month, Hoosier State police say.
Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, each face one count of neglect resulting in death and two counts of neglect of a dependent.
The fatal incident occurred sometime between the night of Nov. 26 and the afternoon of Nov. 27, according to the Berne Police Department.
Responding to a call around 3:30 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving, officers arrived at the Swiss Meadows apartment complex in Berne. Berne is a small town located about 35 miles south of Fort Wayne.
According to court documents obtained by local media outlets like Fort Wayne-based ABC, NBC, and MyNetworkTV affiliate WPTA, as well as CBS affiliate WANE, an officer described the home as being in a state of disrepair.
The court documents revealed that every room in the apartment was filled with garbage, making it challenging to move around inside. Additionally, police discovered a pot on the stove with mold and flies inside, while the sink was filled with piled-up dirty dishes. Furthermore, officers claimed there were cockroaches present in the residence.
Bedrooms allegedly fared no better; blankets and bedding in the residence were said to be filthy — particularly the young victim’s.
One officer described the mattress of the crib where the deceased 2-year-old was found as “very soiled” and noted the presence of a soiled diaper nearby and feces in a corner of the closet.
When making his way into the closet, one officer wrote in an affidavit that he “felt an immediate heat difference from the main bedroom to the interior of the closet.”
Police say the overall temperature of the apartment and some surfaces inside ranged from some 84 degrees to a sweltering 109 degrees.
Investigators checked the temperature of the girl’s body, according to police. Her chest was 109.4 degrees; her forehead was 108.8 degrees. An autopsy later confirmed that she died of hyperthermia — overheating.
During an interview, the girl’s mother allegedly said she put the child to bed at around 7 p.m. the night before, turned on a space heater, and closed the door most of the way. Perez allegedly admitted to waking up late the next day — at around 12: 30 p.m. — and went on to say that neither parent checked on the small child until after 3 p.m.
The girl also had a discolored body, police say — describing her head as “darkly discolored.”
Both Perez and Hirschy were arrested on the spot. They appeared in court together for the first time this week.
The defendants are currently being detained in the Adams County Jail. Perez and Hirschy are slated to appear in court for a pretrial conference on Feb. 14, 2025; a jury trial is scheduled for March 7, 2025.
