A 4-year-old Indiana girl passed away on Sunday following an incident where her mother’s teenage boyfriend allegedly bit her arm and covered the child’s mouth.
What unfolded in the Spring Valley Road apartment in Evansville, Indiana, was a devastating tale of neglect, abuse, and a failure to protect an innocent child.
On Friday, emergency responders were summoned to the 4500 block of Spring Valley Road in Evansville, Indiana, where a young girl had been found unresponsive.
The child was quickly identified as Octavia Aquino, a 4-year-old whose life was hanging by a thread. Rushed to the hospital, Octavia clung to life, but the prognosis was grim. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries two days later.
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In the aftermath of Octavia’s death, the authorities zeroed in on two individuals: Destiny Rhoades, the child’s 23-year-old mother, and Christian Gonzalez, Rhoades’ 16-year-old boyfriend.
Rhoades was initially charged with neglect of a dependent, resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 3 felony, as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor and invasion of privacy, both misdemeanors. However, following Octavia’s passing, the charges against Rhoades were elevated to the more severe offense of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.
Gonzalez, described by police as Rhoades’ boyfriend, was also arrested and booked into the Youth Care Center on charges of battery with serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and misdemeanor false informing.
Gonzalez was later waived to adult court and charged with murder, a Level 1 felony, for his alleged role in Octavia’s death.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities scheduled an autopsy to determine the exact cause of Octavia’s death. The results of this examination would be crucial in shaping the legal proceedings and understanding the full extent of the tragedy. Pending the autopsy findings, the community waited with bated breath, hoping for answers and justice in the face of such unspeakable loss.
Disturbing details emerged from the investigation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers had noticed a bite mark on Octavia’s right arm and bruising on her legs and neck. Furthermore, it was revealed that one of the other adults in the apartment had informed the police that Gonzalez had “bitten” the 4-year-old the day before her death.
The affidavit also alleged that Rhoades had confronted Gonzalez about the marks on her daughter and that he had claimed a cat had caused the injuries. However, Rhoades reportedly later told police that Gonzalez had admitted to biting Octavia and covering her mouth. Despite this knowledge, Rhoades allegedly did not seek immediate medical attention for her daughter, who began displaying “odd behaviors” and would not eat for the remainder of the day.
The affidavit further stated that Rhoades had expressed fear about what would happen to Gonzalez if she contacted the authorities, as she was worried he would be “removed” and they would get in trouble. Rhoades reportedly told police that she had tried to get Gonzalez to leave, but he was a “very manipulative child” and she loved him as a “son.”
Investigators also uncovered that there was an active protective order out against Rhoades, and that she had an existing criminal case from February 2024 in which she was accused of helping a juvenile, believed to be Gonzalez, escape from a detention facility in Evansville and run away from his guardian in Fort Wayne.
Following Octavia’s death, the charges against the suspects were revised. Rhoades’ initial neglect charge was elevated to the more severe offense of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony. Gonzalez’s charges were also upgraded, with the battery with serious bodily injury charge being replaced by a murder charge, a Level 1 felony.
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