Two Indiana parents have been arrested after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old daughter in a closet overnight with a space heater set to its maximum temperature.
On November 27, Berne Police discovered the toddler deceased with an internal body temperature as high as 109.4 degrees.
Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, have been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, along with two additional felony charges for neglect of dependents, according to WANE.
The Indiana Department of Child Services has taken custody of the couple’s two other children, aged 3 and 5, citing “extremely unhealthy” living conditions in the family’s home, WLBT reported.
Responding officers described the scene as “disarrayed,” with trash, soiled diapers, and feces littering the area. The deceased child was found in her crib on a “very soiled mattress” inside the closet, police said.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers reported a noticeable heat difference between the main bedroom and the closet where the child had been left.
Perez allegedly told investigators that the toddler was placed in her crib with the space heater at maximum setting around 7 p.m. the previous evening and was not checked on until approximately 3 p.m. the following day, WPTA reported.
An autopsy determined the child’s cause of death was hyperthermia, or overheating, WPTA confirmed.
