child neglect Archives - News Now Warsaw https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/tag/child-neglect/ Sun, 05 Jan 2025 19:52:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Berne couple faces charges after leaving girl, 2, in closet with space heater https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/couple-in-berne-face-charges-after-leaving-girl-2-in-closet-with-space-heater/ Sat, 07 Dec 2024 11:46:30 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=102519 Network Indiana

BERNE — A couple in Berne, Sintia Perez and Jace Hirschy, appeared in court Wednesday on charges of neglect after their two-year-old was found dead in a room with temperatures reaching 109 degrees.

The couple faces charges, including a Level 1 Felony for neglect resulting in death and two Level 6 Felony charges for neglect. They were arrested on November 27 after police responded to a death investigation at Swiss Meadows Apartments.

Court documents describe the home as in poor condition, with trash, cockroaches, and moldy food on the stove. In a bedroom closet, officers found a soiled mattress where the child slept. Temperatures in the closet ranged from 85 to 109 degrees.

The child was found in a soiled diaper, and an autopsy confirmed hyperthermia as the cause of death, with a recorded body temperature of 109.4 degrees.

Perez told officers she placed the child in the closet with a space heater at 7 p.m. the night before and didn’t check on her until after 3 p.m. the next day. Two other children, who had lice, were taken into custody by child services.

 

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BERNE — A couple in Berne, Sintia Perez and Jace Hirschy, appeared in court Wednesday on charges of neglect after their two-year-old was found dead in a room with temperatures reaching 109 degrees.

The couple faces charges, including a Level 1 Felony for neglect resulting in death and two Level 6 Felony charges for neglect. They were arrested on November 27 after police responded to a death investigation at Swiss Meadows Apartments.

Court documents describe the home as in poor condition, with trash, cockroaches, and moldy food on the stove. In a bedroom closet, officers found a soiled mattress where the child slept. Temperatures in the closet ranged from 85 to 109 degrees.

The child was found in a soiled diaper, and an autopsy confirmed hyperthermia as the cause of death, with a recorded body temperature of 109.4 degrees.

Perez told officers she placed the child in the closet with a space heater at 7 p.m. the night before and didn’t check on her until after 3 p.m. the next day. Two other children, who had lice, were taken into custody by child services.

 

The post Berne couple faces charges after leaving girl, 2, in closet with space heater appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sirens-fea.jpg Abuse, neglect deaths of children rose in 2021 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/abuse-neglect-deaths-of-children-rose-in-2021/ Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:00:18 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=73380 Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sixty children died from abuse and neglect in 2021, a report issued Friday by the Indiana Department of Child Services found. That is up from 50 in 2020.

The agency investigated 271 child fatalities in which abuse or neglect was suspected to be a factor but 22% were found to be from caregiver maltreatment.

Of those, 22 were due to abuse, and 38 were due to neglect. In 40 (67%) of the 60 fatalities, the victim was 3 years old or younger.

“This finding demonstrates a consistent trend (nationally and in Indiana) that young children are at the highest risk of abuse or neglect,” a press release said.

Allen County recorded the state’s highest number of child fatalities (11) caused by abuse or neglect.

Fifteen of the 60 victims (25%) included in the report were previous victims of substantiated abuse or neglect, meaning law enforcement and child protection agencies knew of the families and children beforehand. Two of those 15 had history only in other states, not Indiana.

“The death of any child is a great loss for the families and communities,” DCS Director Terry Stigdon said. “We need to be able to learn from this report and make meaningful and lasting change to increase awareness of the risk factors that lead to these tragedies.”

Improper sleeping arrangements, including co-sleeping, remain a leading contributor to infant fatalities. Other common risk factors listed in the report were substance abuse, failure to supervise a child (especially near a body of water) and driving while intoxicated.

The victim’s biological parents were often deemed responsible for the child fatalities detailed in this report, accounting for 53 (73%) of the 73 alleged perpetrators. Some cases cite multiple perpetrators as responsible for the death of the same child. In some cases, caregiver stressors were determined to play a role in the death of a child. Substance abuse, insufficient income and unemployment were frequently cited as stress factors among caregivers.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.
You can read the original version of the story here.

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]]> Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Sixty children died from abuse and neglect in 2021, a report issued Friday by the Indiana Department of Child Services found. That is up from 50 in 2020.

The agency investigated 271 child fatalities in which abuse or neglect was suspected to be a factor but 22% were found to be from caregiver maltreatment.

Of those, 22 were due to abuse, and 38 were due to neglect. In 40 (67%) of the 60 fatalities, the victim was 3 years old or younger.

“This finding demonstrates a consistent trend (nationally and in Indiana) that young children are at the highest risk of abuse or neglect,” a press release said.

Allen County recorded the state’s highest number of child fatalities (11) caused by abuse or neglect.

Fifteen of the 60 victims (25%) included in the report were previous victims of substantiated abuse or neglect, meaning law enforcement and child protection agencies knew of the families and children beforehand. Two of those 15 had history only in other states, not Indiana.

“The death of any child is a great loss for the families and communities,” DCS Director Terry Stigdon said. “We need to be able to learn from this report and make meaningful and lasting change to increase awareness of the risk factors that lead to these tragedies.”

Improper sleeping arrangements, including co-sleeping, remain a leading contributor to infant fatalities. Other common risk factors listed in the report were substance abuse, failure to supervise a child (especially near a body of water) and driving while intoxicated.

The victim’s biological parents were often deemed responsible for the child fatalities detailed in this report, accounting for 53 (73%) of the 73 alleged perpetrators. Some cases cite multiple perpetrators as responsible for the death of the same child. In some cases, caregiver stressors were determined to play a role in the death of a child. Substance abuse, insufficient income and unemployment were frequently cited as stress factors among caregivers.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.
You can read the original version of the story here.

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]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Untitled-design-24-1.jpg Indiana high court rejects appeal in malnourished teen case https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/indiana-high-court-rejects-appeal-malnourished-teen-case/ Fri, 05 May 2017 09:56:01 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=22458 ANDERSON, Ind. (AP): The Indiana Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a central Indiana woman who pleaded guilty to neglecting her 15-year-old granddaughter, who was found covered in feces and weighing only 52 pounds.

The court ruled unanimously last week not to accept transfer of 56-year-old Joetta Sells’ appeal of a state Court of Appeals decision that upheld her 24-year sentence for pleading guilty to neglect and battery charges.

The Herald Bulletin reports Sells’ attorney, Rick Walker, says his client can still seek post-conviction relief.

Firefighters called to Sells’ Anderson home in December 2014 found her granddaughter malnourished, covered in feces and suffering from a skull fracture.

Sells’ husband and her adult daughter were also convicted of neglect and other charges in the case and are serving prison sentences.

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]]> ANDERSON, Ind. (AP): The Indiana Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a central Indiana woman who pleaded guilty to neglecting her 15-year-old granddaughter, who was found covered in feces and weighing only 52 pounds.

The court ruled unanimously last week not to accept transfer of 56-year-old Joetta Sells’ appeal of a state Court of Appeals decision that upheld her 24-year sentence for pleading guilty to neglect and battery charges.

The Herald Bulletin reports Sells’ attorney, Rick Walker, says his client can still seek post-conviction relief.

Firefighters called to Sells’ Anderson home in December 2014 found her granddaughter malnourished, covered in feces and suffering from a skull fracture.

Sells’ husband and her adult daughter were also convicted of neglect and other charges in the case and are serving prison sentences.

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