One of Malachi Lovely’s siblings found the 4-year-old unresponsive in the basement closet, where police allege he spent most of his time.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Angel-Lovely-Nicholas-Bergdoll-040226-86df423549884f5991820cb58733eba9.jpg "Mugshot for Angel Lovely, Mugshot for Nicholas Bergdoll")
Credit: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Police were called to an Indianapolis home where they found the mother of a severely disabled boy giving him CPR
- The boy, his siblings told police, was kept in a closet under the basement stairs, court documents allege
- He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead
An Indiana mother and her boyfriend are facing criminal charges after her 4-year-old special needs son in a wheelchair was found unresponsive in a closet under the basement stairs, according to authorities.
On Wednesday, April 1, Angel Lovely, 37, of Indianapolis, was charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a statement.
Her boyfriend, Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, also of Indianapolis, was charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, per the statement.
“The allegations in this case are absolutely devastating,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. “Children depend on the adults in their lives for protection and care, and in this instance, this child was failed by the accused.”
According to court documents obtained by the IndyStar, WXIN and WISHTV, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to the home at 4:25 p.m. on Monday, March 23, where they found Lovely giving the boy, identified as Malachi Lovely, CPR on the basement floor.
The boy was unresponsive, the prosecutor’s office said in the statement.
Police said he was found with blood on his mouth, shirt, pillow and blanket in a closet under the stairs in the basement, the outlets reported.
The boy, who his mother told officers could not speak and had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, hip dysplasia and other illnesses, was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lovely and Bergdoll "allegedly contributed to the boy’s many health conditions that resulted in the child’s death and failed to provide or seek appropriate medical care," prosecutors said, per the statement.
Two days after Malachi was found dead, his three older siblings told child abuse detectives that Malachi was “trapped in the little room,” that “mom does not take care of [him] as much,” and that “mom keeps him in the closet and does not pay attention to him,” the court documents allege.
One of the boy’s siblings is the one who found him unresponsive. His parents told police they were asleep when he died, court documents allege, according to WISHTV.
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“While the charges announced today represent a critical first step, our work is far from over," Mears said. "This remains an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to ensure every circumstance surrounding this tragedy is brought to light.”
Lovely and Bergdoll's attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.