The Indiana parents of an 8-month old girl have been arrested after the child was found weighing just nine pounds and suffering from severe malnourishment.
The Jennings County Sheriff’s Office said Benjamin Tackett and Kayla Thompson, both 25, frequently locked the baby in a room alone for 10 hours at a time while they slept.
The baby and other children in the home were removed by the state Department of Child Services after an investigation that found the baby was also suffering from hygiene-related neglect, severe dermatitis, and developmental delays.
The sheriff’s office said the Tackett and Thompson admitted “knowingly neglecting the child,” saying they were “tired after work” and locked the baby away “so they could sleep.”
A probable cause affidavit said the parents admitted they missed multiple doctor’s appointments for the girl and said that her significantly low weight “was due to lack of effort from mom and dad,” Law&Crime reported.
The parents were each charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of neglect of a dependent, the sheriff’s office said.
They are due in court on November 13.
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[Featured image: Kayla Thompson and Benjamin Tackett/Jennings County Sheriff’s Office]
