An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with the death of his 3-month-old daughter.
Jacob Vera entered the plea on Thursday, Nov. 6, and is set to be sentenced on Dec. 1.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, officers from the Muncie Police Department were dispatched to the Bestway Inn in Muncie at around 8:30 p.m. on March 25, 2023.
Jessica Brown, the child’s mother, told police that when she returned home from work, one of her children was standing in a mobile crib crying, while her other baby, Isabella, was “swaddled in a blanket and rocking in a baby swing.” Both children had been left in Vera’s care while she was away.
When Brown picked up Isabella, the infant was unresponsive. The affidavit states, “Brown then noticed that [Isabella] was not breathing so she ran to a nearby room for someone to call for help, as Vera had apparently left with their only phone.”
Medical responders noted that “signs of rigor mortis were already present,” indicating Isabella had likely died about two hours before help arrived. A coroner later determined her cause of death to be asphyxiation.
Witnesses told police that Vera attempted to leave town that same evening. One motel guest said Vera came to his room and asked for a ride to Chicago, but the man declined. Another witness reported that Vera contacted her the next day, asking for a ride to Illinois. She said she picked him up around 6:40 p.m. on March 25 and drove him there in exchange for gas money.
Vera, later located in Peoria, Illinois, spoke to investigators on March 28. According to the affidavit, he admitted, “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s the leaving,” explaining that he had swaddled Isabella in a blanket, placed another blanket on top of her in the swing, and left while she was asleep.
He told investigators he left the children unattended to travel to Illinois and “avoid any drama” with Brown.
