The parents of a toddler from Indiana have been accused of leaving their daughter in a closet with a space heater, causing temperatures to rise up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in her tragic death. Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, were arrested on November 27, 2024, and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a level one felony in Indiana, as well as two counts each of neglect of a dependent, a level six felony.
The couple allegedly left their young daughter in the closet with a space heater, which heated the room to between 85 and 109 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to the 2-year-old girl’s death from hyperthermia, confirmed by an autopsy. The girl’s body temperature was 109.4 degrees (43C) when measured at the scene, according to court documents obtained by WANE.
Berne Police Department responded to Swiss Meadows Apartments just before 3.30pm on November 27, following calls about a death investigation. On arrival, officers found Perez and Hirschy along with their other two children, aged 5 and 3, in a home filled with rubbish, making it difficult to navigate.
Cockroaches were reportedly found in the home, along with a pot on the stove filled with mould and flies. A police officer discovered a closet where a 2-year-old was sleeping on a soiled mattress, according to court documents, reports the Mirror US.
The officer noted a significant temperature difference between the bedroom and the closet. The toddler, dressed only in a nappy, had a discoloured body and there were faeces in the corner of the room.
Perez admitted to putting the child to bed around 7 pm the previous night, turning on a space heater and almost closing the door. She didn’t wake until 12:30pm the next day, and it’s reported that neither parent checked on the child until after 3pm, when they found her dead.
The other two children were taken into custody by the Department of Child Services, both reportedly infested with lice. Perez and Hirschy are currently detained in Adams County Jail, with a pretrial conference scheduled for February 14 and their jury trial set for March 7, 2025.
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