Background: Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Wendy Alvarado and Dunio Duarte-Rosales (Marion County Sheriff”s Office).
In a tragic case that has shocked the community, the parents of a deceased infant in Indiana have been taken into custody. Wendy Alvarado, aged 35, and Dunio Duarte-Rosales, aged 31, were arrested on Monday, facing preliminary charges of child neglect resulting in death. The charges are linked to the death of their one-year-old son, Angel, who was brought to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis on Monday morning. According to court records accessed by local news station WXIN, the couple arrived at the hospital at 10:14 a.m. reporting that the baby felt “cold to the touch.” Sadly, Angel was pronounced dead just 15 minutes later.
Authorities launched an immediate investigation into Angel’s death. A deputy coroner involved in the case indicated that the infant weighed only 10 pounds, describing him as “very malnourished and underweight.” The coroner also reportedly observed multiple bruises, scratches, and scars on Angel’s body.
Upon her arrival at the hospital, Alvarado requested legal representation and chose not to communicate with the police.
Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at the couple’s residence, where they discovered two young children left unattended. These children were placed under the care of the state’s Department of Child Services. The department also located the couple’s other two children at school, who were reportedly unharmed.
Court documents reveal that during the search, detectives discovered oxycodone in a drawer accessible to the young children. Duarte-Rosales, who had returned home from the hospital leaving his children unsupervised, reportedly admitted to using methamphetamine both before and after Angel was taken to the hospital. When questioned about the oxycodone, he allegedly claimed that the pills might have accidentally ended up in the lower drawer while he was rearranging belongings.
According to court documents, detectives found oxycodone in a drawer that was accessible to the youngest children. When police encountered Duarte-Rosales, who had left the hospital to go back to his unsupervised children at home, he allegedly admitted that he smoked methamphetamine before and after bringing Angel to the hospital. Police asked him about the oxycodone, and he reportedly responded that it must have fallen into the lower drawer while he was moving things around.
When he was questioned about Angel’s condition, Duarte-Rosales claimed that the baby was born a month premature, and doctors told him and Alvarado that he would always be small in size. Duarte-Rosales said the baby “barely eats” but said he was “always smiling and laughing,” so they never brought him to a doctor.
Police said that at some point, Duarte-Rosales brought up their son’s health with Alvarado, but “nothing came of it.” On the morning they brought him to the hospital, Alvarado said that something was wrong with Angel. When Duarte-Rosales felt him, he felt “cold to the touch.”
According to court documents, Duarte-Rosales was asked about the bruises and scratches on Angel’s body, but had no explanation.
An autopsy was performed on Angel, but results were not available.
Alvarado and Duarte-Rosales were arrested on charges of child neglect resulting in death. They were both booked into the Marion County Jail; bond amounts were not listed for either of them. Both are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 21.
