MUNCIE, IN — A Muncie toddler’s severe diaper rash resulted in his mother and grandmother being arrested on suspicion of neglect of a dependent.
The women, age 34 and 52, were both arrested on Friday, June 26. They continued to be held in the Delaware County Jail on Monday.
Muncie police on Friday afternoon were called by Indiana Department of Child Services personnel to a detached garage in the city, where the 17-month-old child was reported to be staying with his mother.
When officers arrived, they found the child, asleep on a couch in the garage, with his grandmother.
An officer reported the child was “filthy and dirty,” and had a “massive red blister rash” on his “groin/genital area underneath his diaper.”
The officer also reported observing “trash, bugs and what appeared to be feces” in the diaper.
Both officers and DCS personnel told detectives that “the diaper rash was the worst they had ever seen.”
EMTs were called to the scene, and the child was taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital by ambulance.
An officer reported living conditions in the garage were “deplorable,” with no running water and a refrigerator that was “completely empty and covered with filth.”
The grandmother is accused of having a vial containing nine grams of meth, and of struggling with officers and trying to impede their investigation.
She was also being held on suspicion of possession of meth and resisting law enforcement. Her bond was set at $12,500.
Both women, after the mother was arrested later in the day, told police they had tried to treat the boy’s rath with “over-the-counter” creams and “home remedies.”
The mother was being held Monday under a $5,000 bond.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman’s office will determine whether any charges will be filed.
The 90-year-old owner of the property told police he was unaware there were people staying in his garage.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie toddler’s severe diaper rash leads to arrests of mother, grandma
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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By Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
