Toddler dies in house of horrors filled with rotten food and faeces as mum visited once a day
Toddler dies in house of horrors filled with rotten food and faeces as mum visited once a day
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A toddler has been found dead in a home filled with rotting food and faeces, authorities in Indiana have said. Two-year-old Skylar Gardner was discovered dead and "cold to the touch" inside an apartment in Newberry Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis after her mum Chantell Gardner, 33, called 911 when she found her unresponsive. According to a police report, the woman was making dinner for her two children, both aged under five, but once food was ready and she called them, only her son responded.
After searching the house for Skylar, Gardner reportedly found her lifeless and "cold to the touch underneath a dresser." Gardner claimed she picked up her son and ran from the house before calling the emergency services. Police reports claim she also called her boyfriend, Brian Thomas, and asked him to come to the apartment. Police responded to an alleged filthy apartment, with rotting food and faeces smeared on walls. In a protective sweep of the apartment, officers said they "observed trash scattered, human faeces, steak knives and soiled items on the floor to the point it was not visible.".
According to court documents, there was also a "strong" smell of "rotting food" throughout the property and faeces covered the wall and furniture. EMT teams said "rigor mortis had already set in" when they arrived to the scene. Rigor mortis is the contraction - proceeded by a relaxation - of the muscles of the body after death through chemical changes in the muscles.
Officials found bruises and other injuries on Skylar's face, arms, legs back, and vagina, as well as a "large puncture wound" on her neck, court documents say. After both Gardner and her boyfriend were questioned, Thomas told police that the woman spent the night at his place every night, indicating the children were left home alone overnight.
