An Indianapolis couple is in jail after being accused of neglecting a dependent, which resulted in death.
The arrests follow the death of a four-year-old kid on the city’s south side earlier this week.
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The probe began on Monday. That’s when the 4-year-old victim was discovered dead at his family’s Monticello Drive house.
A collection of little hearts decorates the front window of that residence, but inside, tragedy struck when police arrived and discovered Malichi Lovely dead on the spot.
Neighbors say the young child was disabled.
The coroner has yet to determine the cause of death, but 37-year-old Angel Lovely and 36-year-old Nicholas Bergdoll have both been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
“Child abuse and neglect is preventable, but it requires a community effort,” said Nicholle Probst of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana and The Villages.
While it is unclear what caused the boy’s death on Monticello Drive, and the case is still under investigation, the most recent annual study on childhood deaths in Indiana reveals a continuous and terrible pattern.
Every year for the past decade, between 50 and 60 children have died as a result of abuse or neglect across the state.
“If you see something, say something, because you never know what’s going on behind closed doors, and kids are some of our most vulnerable individuals out there,” Probst claimed.
Probst points out that while April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, tools are available all year to help parents in need before it’s too late.
“Parents often feel isolated and alone and don’t know how to navigate resources that are available to them, and that leads to tragic situations,” Probst pointed out. “There is no shame in asking for assistance. Whatever it looks like for you and your family.”
Both suspects remain in custody pending the filing of official charges by the prosecutor’s office.
