***WARNING: This story contains graphic content not suitable for all readers***
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Two women have been arrested and preliminarily charged in connection with the death of a 1-year-old child who suffered traumatic and critical injuries last month.
Fort Wayne police arrested 24-year-old Sharon Myers and 26-year-old Chrisona Denea Bright on Wednesday on felony counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two counts of neglect of a dependent by placing the dependent in a situation that endangers the child.
Myers and Bright are accused of having care of the child when the child somehow suffered head trauma, a brain bleed, a collapsed lung and bleeding to at least one eye, according to Allen Superior Court documents.
A doctor would later tell investigators in court documents the injuries were not accidental and were likely caused by shaking the child.
The child’s mother dropped the child off to Myers and Bright on Aug. 10, according to court documents. When the mother returned the next day, the child was unresponsive, court documents said.
Fort Wayne police and firefighters soon responded to the scene and the child was taken to a local hospital. The child was suffering from acute respiratory failure and needed to be intubated, court documents said.
Myers, Bright and the child’s mother all went to the hospital.
On Aug. 17, the child was removed from life support and later died.
After the child was taken to the hospital, Myers and Bright refused to speak to investigators, court documents said.
They did, however, end up speaking to an Indiana Department of Child Services caseworker and admitted that at least one of them used fentanyl the night they were taking care of the child, according to court documents.
Both Myers and Bright said they do not know what happened to the child or how the child suffered such injuries, court documents said.
Myers and Bright appeared separately in court Thursday and were ordered to stay away from the child’s mother.
Both are being held in Allen County Jail on $30,000 bond.
Both are due in court again Sept. 19.
