Background: Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Wendy Alvarado and Dunio Duarte-Rosales (Marion County Sheriff's Office).
The parents of a baby in Indiana who was pronounced dead minutes after he was brought to the hospital have been arrested.
Wendy Alvarado, 35, and Dunio Duarte-Rosales, 31, were arrested on Monday on charges of child neglect resulting in death. The preliminary charges come in connection with the death of their 1-year-old son Angel, whom they brought to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Monday morning. According to court documents obtained by local Fox affiliate WXIN, the couple arrived with the baby at 10:14 a.m. saying he was "cold to the touch." Angel was pronounced dead 15 minutes after they arrived.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Police said that the investigation into Angel's death began immediately, and a deputy coroner noted that the little boy only weighed 10 pounds, calling him "very malnourished and underweight." Angel's body was also allegedly covered in bruises, scratches, and scarring.
Alvarado immediately requested a lawyer and did not speak with police.
A search warrant was executed at the couple's home, where detectives found two young children by themselves. They were placed in the custody of the state's Department of Child Services, which tracked down the couple's other two children at school. The children were reportedly unharmed.
According to court documents, detectives found oxycodone in a drawer that was accessible to the youngest children. When police encountered Duarte-Rosales, who had left the hospital to go back to his unsupervised children at home, he allegedly admitted that he smoked methamphetamine before and after bringing Angel to the hospital. Police asked him about the oxycodone, and he reportedly responded that it must have fallen into the lower drawer while he was moving things around.
When he was questioned about Angel's condition, Duarte-Rosales claimed that the baby was born a month premature, and doctors told him and Alvarado that he would always be small in size. Duarte-Rosales said the baby "barely eats" but said he was "always smiling and laughing," so they never brought him to a doctor.
Police said that at some point, Duarte-Rosales brought up their son's health with Alvarado, but "nothing came of it." On the morning they brought him to the hospital, Alvarado said that something was wrong with Angel. When Duarte-Rosales felt him, he felt "cold to the touch."
According to court documents, Duarte-Rosales was asked about the bruises and scratches on Angel's body, but had no explanation.
An autopsy was performed on Angel, but results were not available.
Alvarado and Duarte-Rosales were arrested on charges of child neglect resulting in death. They were both booked into the Marion County Jail; bond amounts were not listed for either of them. Both are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 21.