The Pennsylvania grandparents of a 6-year-old girl found dead wearing a soiled diaper in a hot room where she was allegedly locked for days have been charged with homicide.
Jazmine Rodriguez, 44, and Manuel Rodriguez, Sr., 46, were arrested Monday after police received a report that an unidentified child was in cardiac arrest at a home in Reading, Pennsylvania, according to NBC News in Philadelphia.
When authorities arrived, they reportedly found the 6-year-old girl dead in the hot, humid room. She was wearing a soiled diaper that was several days old and had severe diaper rash.
An autopsy revealed the girl died of dehydration and prolonged exposure to temperatures that could reach more than 100 degrees. It is not known when the child died, but authorities believe she had been dead for several days.
In addition to the homicide, the grandparents were charged with unlawful confinement and unlawful confinement. Police are still searching for the victim’s uncle, Manuel Rodriguez Jr., 20, in connection with the case, ABC 6 Philadelphia reported.
School records reportedly show the girl attended classes for part of the 2022-23 school year, but was not a student last year.
Berks County District Attorney John Adams was speechless about the circumstances in which the victim died.
“There are just no words I can use to describe the abuse that took place here,” he said, according to local station WFMZ.
Reading is located approximately 60 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
