Facing multiple charges are the parents of a 2-year-old girl from Indiana, following the discovery of the toddler deceased in a closet where the temperature had soared to 109 degrees.
Responding to a report of a fatality on November 27, Berne Police officers encountered a disorderly apartment filled with trash, making it challenging to move around, as per a report by WANE. Cockroaches were widespread throughout the residence, and a pot with mold inside was found on the stove.
In the bedroom closet, officials discovered the lifeless child, whom her parents claimed slept in that space. The toddler was on a dirty mattress in a soiled diaper, according to WPTA. Her body showed signs of discoloration, and authorities recorded temperatures ranging from 85 to 109 degrees within the closet, with the highest readings emanating from the girl’s body. Additionally, there was excrement found in one corner of the closet.
An autopsy later determined the child died of hyperthermia.
According to the court documents, the child’s mother, 21 year-old Sintia Perez, said that she put the little girl to bed at 7 p.m. on November 26 and turned cranked a space heater nearly all the way up. Perez said she woke up at 12:30 p.m. the next day, but neither she nor the child’s father, 23-year-old Jace Hirschy, checked on the toddler until after 3 p.m. when they found her dead.
Perez and Hirschy were charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two counts of neglect of a dependent, according to WANE. Two other children in the home, a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old, were taken into custody by the state Department of Child Services. They both had lice.
Perez and Hirschy made their first appearance in court on Wednesday and are expected back for a pretrial conference on February 14, 2025.
