A couple from Indiana allegedly left their 2-year-old daughter in a closet overnight with a Space Heater. Tragically, the toddler did not survive the ordeal.
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As reported by local news outlet Wane, a couple was arrested following the incident on Wednesday, November 27th, 2024. Sinitia Perez and Jace Herschy have since been charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and one count of neglect of a dependent, resulting in death.
Authorities are holding the couple in Adams County Jail until their trial on March 7th, 2025.
Court documents paint a horrific picture of the state of the home. Officers were dispatched in response to a death investigation at Swiss Meadow Appartments. Police officers describe "trash thrown throughout the home" to a degree that was "difficult to navigate" through the building. The police also noted that they found cockroaches and a moldy pot stove with flies in the building.
The Heater Caused The Toddler To Die From Hyperthermia
The court documents explain that one officer investigated the bedroom where the 2-year-old child slept. They noticed an "immense temperature change" between the main room and the closet. The officer found a discolored body on a filthy mattress with fecal matter in the corner when they opened the door.
Officers checked the closet temperature and got readings ranging from "85 degrees to 109 degrees." Sadly, the Autopsy confirmed that the toddler's body temperature exceeded those margins at 109.4 degrees.
The autopsy confirmed the cause of death was Hyperthermia. It's important to note that high temperatures cause Hyperthermia, while the more common Hypothermia is the opposite.
According to the court documents, Perez allegedly put the toddler in the closet at 7 pm with the space heater. The door wasn't completely shut, but the child was left unsupervised until 3 pm the following day. The documents also note that the parents got up a few hours earlier, at around 12:30, but didn't bother to check.
Two other children were found with Perez and Herschy during the investigation. Authorities found both children with head lice and took them into child protective custody.
