A South Carolina couple has been charged with the death of a four-year-old girl found jammed into a drawer in Rock Hill. The two suspects have both been denied of bond on Wednesday.
According to Fox8, local authorities indicted 26-year-old Audrevious Williams along with his 23-year-old girlfriend Jackleen Mullen with homicide by abuse or neglect.
Young victim
On Tuesday at around 11:30 p.m., law enforcement arrived at a residence on Gentle Breeze Lane after getting a call for their assistance.
When detectives questioned Mullen, she said that their daughter, four-year-old India, who had physical disabilities and required special needs was currently living with family. The authorities later found that the little girl was lifeless inside the couple's bedroom placed inside a drawer.
"He and Mullen shared extreme indifference to the child's life and well-being," said one detective to the judge who also requested the denial of bond for the two suspects which was granted by the higher authority.
Observation of India's body showed signs of blunt force trauma and respiratory issues, said the detectives. Investigators revealed that they found evidence to connect the couple with the murder of the little girl but declined to comment any additional information.
When authorities told Mullen that her daughter was gone, she showed "no emotion or empathy," they said to the judge, as reported by KRQE.
When they were in court, Mullen showed tears running down her eyes, and it was revealed that she and her boyfriend appeared in court separately, and both spoke very little about the incident.
Authorities appointed public defenders for both parties and ordered not to come into contact with their three other young children.
The boyfriend, Williams, has two other kids, a one-year-old and a seven-year-old, who are staying with the Department of Social Services whereas Mullen has another four-year-old who is currently with relatives.
The president of the local homeowners association, Mary Clark, expressed her grief when she learned about the news and said: "I feel bad for the family."
Clark is a grandmother and says she was devastated by the whole ordeal and now plans to implement a neighbourhood crime watch program to monitor the safety and well-being of residents.
Clark was not notified by any unusual circumstances that could have lead to the death of the little girl and a resident who also lived nearby, Tiara Jean Mendiola, was baffled by the events that took place.
Mendiola said that the crime was the last thing anyone would have expected from people you would trust to protect you. She added, "It just hurts my heart."
History of neglect
WSOCTV reported that Mullen was previously charged with neglect when her premature newborn child tested positive for cocaine, which is the same kid that was found dead in a drawer.
India was born prematurely at 26 weeks gestation and needed to be flown to a nearby Columbia hospital. She was then taken care of inside the neonatal intensive care unit by local medical experts.
Both Mullen and William will be issued new court dates after two weeks and if they are convicted of the crime, will be sentenced with 20 years to life in jail.
