Background: Bestway Inn Motel in Muncie, Indiana (WTHR). Insets, from left: Jacob Vera (WTHR) and Isabella Vera (Parson Mortuary).
A 26-year-old Indiana man is reportedly facing nearly a decade behind bars after he abandoned his two young kids, including a 3-month-old infant who was later found dead in her baby swing.
Court records show Jacob Vera pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent, a level 3 felony. He was originally facing neglect of a dependent causing death, a level 1 felony.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WTHR, cops with the Muncie Police Department were called shortly after 8:30 p.m. March 25, 2023, to the Bestway Inn at 4000 N. Broadway for a cardiac arrest.
Officers rushed to their home to find a baby, Isabella Vera, unresponsive in her swing. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Isabella's mother told cops she left the baby and her 16-month-old child in the care of Vera around 2 p.m. that day to go to work.
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When she returned more than six hours later she found the older child "crying uncontrollably" in a pack-and-play. Vera was nowhere to be found. The mom saw Isabella swaddled in a blanket and rocking in a baby swing. She was "not moving as she normally would when picked up," the affidavit said.
The mom ran to another room for help as Vera left with the family's phone.
Medical personnel determined that rigor mortis had already set in and believed Isabella had been dead for at least two hours.
Detectives spoke with another resident of the motel and he said Vera came to him and offered him $130 for a ride to Chicago. The man declined. Vera had a friend drive him to Peoria, Illinois, more than 250 miles away. Cops caught up with him and asked him why he left.
"If I'm guilty of anything, it's the leaving," Vera allegedly said.
Vera said he left because he wanted to "avoid any drama" with the kids' mom.
The medical examiner reportedly determined Isabella died of asphyxiation.
As part of the plea deal, Vera faces nine years behind bars, WTHR reported. He's slated to be sentenced on Dec. 1.
Isabella's obituary described her as a "beautiful little girl, with an infectious smile and beautiful eyes left our world way too early."
"Bella was an incredibly happy baby, with a heart-warming personality all to her own," the obituary said. "She was safe and loving in her mother's arms, always with her pacifier and a stuffed animal not far away."
