An Indiana couple faces accusations of neglect causing death after allegedly leaving their two-year-old daughter in a closet overnight with a space heater turned on.
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Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, were arrested last week.
According to court documents, police in Berne responded to an apartment complex on the afternoon of Nov. 27 to investigation a death.
A report filed by Berne Assistant Police Chief James Newbold said the couple lived in the home with three children five years old and younger.
As the officer walked around the apartment unit, the report noted that he “felt an immediate heat difference from the main bedroom to the interior of the closet,” reported ABC and NBC affiliate WPTA in Fort Wayne.
The cop noted that garbage, a soiled diaper and feces was found in the room, and victim was in a crib in the room, lying on a “very soiled mattress.”
According to court records, the girl’s head was discoloured.
Temperatures in the apartment were measured by investigators, who found the highest readings on the girl’s body. The victim’s chest was 43C and her forehead was 38.8C.
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The mother told police that the child was put in a crib in the main bedroom’s closet around 7 p.m. on Nov. 26 with a space heater turned on, according to court filings. The girl was not checked until 3 p.m. the next day.
Following an autopsy, the victim died of hyperthermia — the overheating of the body — after exposure to extreme heat.
The victim was identified as Zaelynn Hirschy in an online obituary.
“Zaelynn was full of love and life,” the obit said. “She always seemed to have her tongue out having fun and being happy. Zaelynn had big beautiful crystal blue eyes and long, long eyelashes, and they brightened up the room every time she smiled. Her entire family will miss this spunky little girl greatly.”
The state’s Department of Child Services took custody of the two other children, ages 3 and 5. They had lice and were living in “extremely unhealthy” conditions.
They noted that the apartment had garbage in every room, filthy blankets and bedding, mold growing on a pot on the stove, and the sink was filled with dirty dishes.