Inset, left to right: Angel Lovely and Nicholas Bergdoll (Marion County Sheriff's Office). Background: The home where the defendants allegedly neglected Lovely's son to death (WXIN).
A 4-year-old Indiana boy who could not walk, talk, or feed himself was found dead inside a cluttered basement closet where he was allegedly kept, leading to felony charges against his mother and her boyfriend.
Angel Lovely, 37, and Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, are both facing one count each of neglect of a dependent resulting in death in connection with the death of Malichi Lovely, court records show.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 4:25 p.m. on March 23 responded to a home on Monticello Drive regarding an unresponsive 4-year-old boy. Upon arriving, first responders found Lovely performing CPR on Malichi, who was unresponsive, according to a report from The Indianapolis Star.
Emergency medical personnel transported the boy to Riley Children's Health, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
The Marion County Coroner's Office said the manner and cause of the boy's death remain pending, local Fox affiliate WXIN reported.
Court documents obtained by the Star describe the condition of the basement where Malichi was found as filled with "Christmas stuff," where he "often slept" and was "often kept."
The boy's three older siblings told investigators that "he is trapped in the little room" and that their mother "keeps him in the closet and does not pay attention to him," court records state.
Malichi, who had extensive medical needs, including cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, was found unresponsive in the closet with blood on his mouth, shirt, pillow, and blanket, according to court documents cited by the Star.
Investigators said the boy had been placed in the closet the night before his death. One sibling reported hearing gagging noises coming from inside that morning before leaving for school, but the mother later told police she was not aware.
A daughter who returned home later that day told detectives she opened the closet door and saw blood coming from Malichi's mouth, his eyes rolled back.
Bergdoll reportedly told investigators he had only been in a relationship with the boy's mother for a few months and said, "I'm not going to tell her how to f—in' raise her kids." He also claimed he was asleep in the basement and did not know the child was choking or in distress.
Lovely told police she would sometimes put the boy in the closet when he would not stop screaming, claiming she would "wheel him in, leave the door cracked, and take a few minutes to just breathe," according to court records.
The investigation also revealed the boy had a history of severe medical issues and had previously been noted as underweight and suffering from malnutrition, according to court records. He had briefly been removed from his mother's care in 2024 amid allegations of medical neglect before custody was later restored.
Lovely and Bergdoll remain held in the Marion County Jail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 30.
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