Indiana Dad Pleads Guilty After Leaving 3-Month-Old Baby to Die Alone in Muncie Motel Swing
MUNCIE, INDIANA — A 26-year-old Indiana man has pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent after abandoning his two young children — including a 3-month-old baby who was later found dead in a swing at a Muncie motel.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WTHR, officers with the Muncie Police Department were called to the Bestway Inn Motel at 4000 North Broadway around 8:30 p.m. on March 25, 2023, for a report of a cardiac arrest.
When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive infant, identified as Isabella Vera, swaddled in a blanket and seated in a baby swing. Medical personnel determined rigor mortis had already set in, indicating she had been dead for at least two hours before officers arrived.
Father Left Children Alone While Mother Was at Work
According to police, Isabella’s mother told investigators she had left the baby and her 16-month-old child in the care of Jacob Vera around 2 p.m. that day while she went to work. When she returned more than six hours later, she found her toddler “crying uncontrollably” in a pack-and-play, and Isabella not moving “as she normally would when picked up.”
Vera was gone, and the family’s phone was missing. A resident at the motel later told police Vera offered him $130 for a ride to Chicago but ultimately got a ride to Peoria, Illinois, more than 250 miles away.
Police located him there and questioned him about why he left. Vera reportedly said, “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s the leaving,” explaining that he didn’t tell the children’s mother because he wanted to “avoid any drama.”
Medical Examiner Ruled Infant’s Death Asphyxiation
Authorities said an autopsy confirmed that 3-month-old Isabella died from asphyxiation.
Vera was originally charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, but later pleaded guilty to a reduced Level 3 felony neglect charge. Under his plea deal, he faces nine years in prison when sentenced on December 1, 2025.
Isabella’s obituary described her as “a beautiful little girl with an infectious smile and beautiful eyes left our world way too early.”
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