Two Arrested After Indianapolis Child Found Covered in Bruises
INDIANAPOLIS — Two people have been arrested for neglect after a child was found last week in critical condition.
On August 7, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 7400 block of Waterfront Drive in west Indianapolis for a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child who had fallen and was in dire condition. Officers discovered a severely emaciated child covered in bruises.
The 3-year-old child was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
IMPD Child Abuse detectives investigated the matter with support from the IMPD Homicide Unit and the Department of Child Services.
Detectives said that they have been told by doctors that the child has a “very high probability of death due to her injuries.” It was also confirmed that the 3-year-old was suffering from a “bleed on the brain” with a fracture to her upper jaw bone just below her eye. Doctors found injuries to the young girl around her head, chest, stomach, back, arms and eyes.
Joshua Cajigas, 24, and Mellie Jackson, 22, were the two suspects arrested. Jackson faces preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. Cajigas is preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury, domestic battery causing serious bodily injury and battery causing serious bodily injury.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will decide on final charges in the case.
If you suspect a child is experiencing abuse or neglect, you’re urged to call the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556.
Two Arrested After Indianapolis Child Found Covered in Bruises was originally published on wibc.com
