Parents Accused of Leaving Toddler in Closet Overnight with Space Heater On. She Was Found Dead the Next Day

Parents Accused of Leaving Toddler in Closet Overnight with Space Heater On. She Was Found Dead the Next Day

The 2-year-old girl’s body temperature was found to be as high as 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to police

Adams County Sheriff's Department Sintia Perez, Jace Hirschy

Two Indiana parents are in custody after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old daughter in a closet overnight with a space heater turned all the way up.

Berne Police officers found the toddler dead on Nov. 27 with an internal body temperature as high as 109.4 degrees, according to local news outlets WLBT, WPTA, and WANE.

The parents, 21-year-old Sintia Perez and 23-year-old Jace Hirschy, have been each charged with a felony for neglect of a child resulting in death and two more felony charges for neglect of a dependent, according to WANE.

The Indiana Department of Child Services took the couple’s two other children, ages 3 and 5, into custody after allegedly finding the family’s living conditions to be “extremely unhealthy” for the kids, according to WLBT.

A Berne Police officer who responded to the scene said the room where they found the deceased 2-year-old was “disarrayed” with trash, soiled diapers and feces around the room, WLBT reported.

The young girl was found lying on a “very soiled mattress” in her crib, police said, according to WLBT.

Citing a probable cause affidavit, WPTA reported that responding officers “felt an immediate heat difference from the main bedroom to the interior of the closet,” where the child was allegedly left overnight.

Perez, the girl’s mother, allegedly told police they placed the toddler in her crib around 7 p.m. the night before with a space heater turned as high as it could be set and did not check on her until about 3 p.m. the next day, WPTA reported, citing the affidavit.

An autopsy showed the young girl died from hyperthermia, or overheating, according to WPTA.

Perez and Hirschy appeared in court for the first time last week and remain in custody at the Adams County Jail, according to the outlets.

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