NEED TO KNOW
- A 2-year-old girl was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in Ohio, and she was pronounced dead on the scene
- An autopsy for the 2-year-old reportedly determined that she died by suffocation
- Two people — believed to be the child’s mother and her boyfriend, Tiens Hawkins, 25, and Brian Moser (a.k.a. Terry Smith III), 23, were arrested and are being held on child endangerment charges
Two people have been arrested in Ohio under charges of child endangerment after a 2-year-old was found dead.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release on Tuesday, July 1, that it was investigating the death of a 2-year-old who was reported unresponsive at the Timber Ridge Apartment Complex, located just north of Cincinnati.
Police said when first responders arrived on the scene, they “located the child not breathing,” and the child was pronounced dead on the scene, per the release.
The child’s body was transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s office, where an autopsy was performed, according to authorities. The coroner’s office determined that the cause of death for the child was suffocation, according to local outlets WKRC-TV and WLWT-TV.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Prosecutor’s Office and Montgomery County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the case.
Two people — believed to be the child’s mother and her boyfriend — Tiens Hawkins, 25, and Brian Moser (a.k.a. Terry Smith III), 23, were arrested, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Police said in their initial press release that the pair were being held at the Adams County Jail on charges of “child endangerment.”
Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam told WKRC-TV that the case has not yet been classified a homicide yet, but additional charges could come. He said they are also currently interviewing two other children, who were allegedly found at the home with injuries.
“We’re also getting statements from the other two children, the one and the five-year-old, trying to figure out where their injuries came from, what caused those injuries,” said Haslam.
Police told the outlet that their investigation began after 911 operators received a call from Moser, per WKRC-TV. He reportedly said, “I believe she’s all the way gone. I don’t now if they suffocated last night or what’s going on. There’s no way. I don’t know. I don’t know. She’s dead. We woke up and found her.”
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Adams County Sheriff Kenneth Dick told the outlet, “Whether a true act or just an accident, we don’t know at this point, but the bottom line is a two-year-old child has been lost and our prayers go out to the family.”
One of the family’s neighbors. Ciara Thurman, told WKRC-TV that the toddler “had the biggest heart, you know, biggest soul. Just smiley, happy.” Another neighbor, Kelie Proffitt, remembered the little girl as “sweet.”
She added, “She was just a cute little sweet girl who loved to play outside and always had a smile on her face.”
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