Muncie father charged in infant daughter's death
MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie father has been charged in connection with his three-month-old daughter's death.
Jacob M. Vera, 24, was charged Wednesday in Delaware Circuit Court 3 with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony carrying up to 40 years in prison.
Vera — who reportedly fled to Illinois last Saturday, the day the child died — was apparently not in custody as of Thursday afternoon.
According to an affidavit, Muncie police were called Saturday evening to the Bestway Inn, 4000 N. Broadway, after a woman reported she had returned to her room after working and found her three-month-old daughter "unresponsive and not breathing."
The woman's other child, who is 16 months old, was found in a mobile crib, and both children had reportedly been left unattended by Vera, who is their father, the court document said.
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The baby girl had been left swaddled in a blanket and in a baby swing, investigators said. She was pronounced dead at 8:45 p.m., about 10 minutes after police were sent to the scene.
Emergency responders told police the baby's condition reflected she had been dead two hours or longer when found by her mother.
Another person staying at the northside motel told police Vera had approached him about 5:30 p.m. and offered him $130 if he would drive him to Chicago.
A woman on Sunday reported she had driven Vera to Illinois — in exchange for gas money — after he had contacted her via Facebook about 5:45 p.m. on Saturday.
An autopsy was conducted at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital on Monday, and a pathologist determined the baby had died as a result of "asphyxiation."
On Tuesday, Vera spoke with a Muncie police detective by phone. He claimed to be in Peoria, Illinois — about 250 miles northwest of Muncie — and acknowledged leaving the children alone in the motel room.
He said he had done so "to avoid any drama" with their mother, and maintained the baby was sleeping when he left.
"If I'm guilty of anything, it's the leaving," Vera reportedly told the officer.
A warrant was issued for Vera's arrest on Thursday. When returned to Delaware County, he will be held under a $50,000 bond.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie father charged with neglect in 3-momth-old daughter's death
