A mom and her boyfriend in Indiana have been arrested after her 4-year-old wheelchair-bound son died, with police learning that she would often lock him in the basement closet for long stretches of time before his passing.
Angel Lovely and Nicholas Bergdoll have both been charged with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death in connection to the death of her son, Malichi Lovely, according to court records.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported to a residence on Monday, March 23, at 4:25 p.m. after they received a report about an unresponsive 4-year-old boy. Upon their arrival, first responders found Lovely performing CPR on an unresponsive Malichi, according to The Indianapolis Star.
Malichi was transported to Riley Children’s Health, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office said the manner and cause of the boy’s death is still pending, according to WXIN.
Malichi was found in the basement, with officers stating the area was filled with “Christmas stuff,” according to court documents obtained by the Star. Additionally, authorities learned that the boy “often slept” and was “often kept” in the basement.
Malichi had extensive medical needs, which included cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.
Investigators spoke to the boy’s three older siblings, who said that “he is trapped in the little room” and that their mother “keeps him in the closet and does not pay attention to him.”
Police said he was found unresponsive in a closet in the basement with blood on his mouth, shirt, pillow and blanket, per the court documents.
Investigators learned that Malichi had been placed in the closet the night before he died. One sibling told authorities that he heard gagging noises coming from inside the closet on the morning of Malachi’s death. However, the mother told police she was not aware of the reported noise.
A daughter told detectives that she opened the closet door later that day and saw blood coming from Malichi’s mouth, while his eyes were reportedly rolled back.
Bergdoll, 36, reportedly told investigators he had only been in a relationship with Lovely for a few months and that he was “not going to tell her how to f**kin’ raise her kids.” He also claimed that he was unaware that Malachi was choking or in distress prior to his death.
Lovely admitted to police that she would sometimes put the boy in the closet when he would not stop screaming. She claimed that she would “wheel him in, leave the door cracked, and take a few minutes to just breathe,” per the court records.
As they investigated, police learned that the boy had severe medical issues. It was also determined that he was underweight and suffered from malnutrition.
Additionally, police learned that Malachi was briefly removed from his mother’s care in 2024 following allegations of medical neglect. However, her custody was later restored.
Lovely and Bergdoll are both currently in custody at Marion County Jail. They are both scheduled to appear in court on Monday, March 30.
It is not currently clear if Lovely and Bergdoll have entered pleas or retained legal representation following their arrests.
