An Indiana couple has been charged with murdering a 2-year-old boy who police alleged was severely malnourished prior to his death and had tried surviving by consuming pieces of his diaper.
Tell City Police arrested Trevor Reichard-Hayes and Katherine Carter on Friday, April 3, in connection with the boy’s death on March 31, the department announced in a news release.
The toddler was identified by police as Erik Reichard. Police did not disclose the nature of the victim’s relationship with the suspects.
Reichard-Hayes, 39, and Carter, 31, are also each charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and neglect of a dependent in addition to murder, according to police.
It was not immediately clear whether they had attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
The charges against the couple stem from when authorities received a 911 call on March 31 about an “unresponsive child” at a Tell City home, where two other children also lived, police said.
Following the arrival of police and medical personnel, Erik was declared dead, according to authorities.
“This is a highly emotional case … It’s a case that’s beyond what we see often here in our community,” Tell City Police Chief Derrick Lawalin told WFIE.
According to an affidavit obtained by the TV station, Erik was malnourished, weighed roughly 15 pounds before he died, and was covered in dozens of sores or bites from bugs.
Police officers believe Erik was eating pieces of his own diapers because of how hungry he was, the TV station reported. Carter allegedly confirmed that Erik had eaten diapers.
Inside the home where Erik died, officers noticed feces on the ground inside the children’s bedroom and saw the residence was littered with drywall, paint chips, dirt, and diaper pieces, the affidavit says, according to WFIE. Insects were also observed in the house.
“The living conditions that he was confined to are not what you would want a child to be exposed to,” Perry County Prosecutor Samantha Hurst told the TV station.
Erik’s autopsy revealed that he had what was likely “drywall, paint chips or spackling as well as a gel consistent with gel found in diapers” inside his colon, according to the affidavit, WEHT reported.
Reichard-Hayes and Carter, who are married, told authorities that they saw Erik alive 14 hours before 911 was called on March 31, according to the TV station.
While most of the home was found to be extremely dirty, officers found Reichard-Hayes and Carter’s bedroom clean, according to the affidavit viewed by the TV station.
The two other children living at their home have been removed from the residence, police said.
Police are continuing to investigate the couple.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
