BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After a 3-year-old child died in Bloomington, two women were arrested and charged with neglect.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, officers were called to the 4100 block of North Thomas Road for a welfare check on a 3-year-old who was unconscious and not breathing on Aug. 8.
The child was transported to a local hospital by ambulance and later flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital the same day. The child remained there until they were pronounced dead on Wednesday.
On Thursday, MCSO arrested 27-year-old Keera Braun and 50-year-old Millissa Hicks, both of Bloomington.
Braun was arrested on the following charges:
- One count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony
- One count of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony
Hicks was arrested on the following charges:
- One count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony
- One count of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony
Both women have been booked into the Monroe County Correctional Center.
What did the court documents say?
In an interview with Braun, the court documents stated that Braun reportedly told police that the child’s breathing was “off,” leading her to give the child around 20mgs of melatonin. As the night went on, Braun said the 3-year-old was “acting ‘weird’ and her eyes were ‘droopy.'”
Braun reportedly told police that she tried to wake the child at around 8:15 a.m., and the child was unresponsive. The court documents state that the child’s lips were blue.
As the investigation continued, police searched the apartment, which included animal feces as well as “excessive trash, spoiled food (and) insect infestation.” The documents said that Hicks, the grandmother of the child, was also staying in the apartment.
“The house was in such a deteriorated state that no child should have to reside in such conditions,” the documents said.
The documents said that it was later found that the child suffered from a brain injury “likely due to an extended period lacking oxygen.” The documents said it was unknown what led to the child’s medical episode, and the autopsy had not been scheduled as of the time of the published report.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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