Mother Charged With Neglect After 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Body Was Found Under Dresser Confesses to Leaving Children to Live In Filth While She Stayed with Her Boyfriend Every Night

An Indianapolis mother has been charged in the death of her 2-year-old daughter whose body was found underneath a dresser.

Police responded to a 911 call placed by 33-year-old Chantell Gardner who found the toddler unresponsive on Jan. 25, according to a probable cause affidavit cited by local news outlets.

When officers arrived at Gardner’s home, Gardner told them she had been making dinner for her children and called for them to eat. Her 4-year-old son came, but her 2-year-old daughter didn’t.

When Gardner went to find the toddler, she found her underneath a dresser, “cold to the touch,” and not breathing. She immediately called 911 and her boyfriend.

When officers evaluated the apartment as part of a protective sweep, they reported Gardner’s home was in sordid conditions. They reported finding feces on the walls and furniture and trash scattered across the floors. They also said the home reeked of a strong stench of rotting food.

When paramedics arrived, they pronounced the child dead, noting that rigor mortis had already set in. Medical personnel discovered several bruises and injuries on the toddler’s face, arms, legs, back, and vagina. Hospital staff members also discovered a large puncture wound on her neck, but it’s unclear how the injury got there.

Gardner and her boyfriend were taken to the Indianapolis Police Department’s Child Abuse Office to speak with investigators.

Gardner’s boyfriend reportedly told police that Gardner stays at his home every night and typically leaves her children at her apartment. The kids visited his residence once a week at most.

Gardner confessed that she spends every night with her boyfriend. She told detectives that she would leave both her children home alone for multiple hours a day and only check on them once a day to bring them food, according to the police affidavit.

She also told police that several days had passed since she last bathed her children.

She said she often spotted feces on her children’s hands when she checked on them and said that infrequent diaper changes accounted for the redness and swelling in Skylar’s vaginal area.

The mother told authorities that she knew she neglected her daughter, but stated that she never physically harmed or sexually assaulted her.

Gardner was charged with one felony count of neglect of a dependent under the age of 14 resulting in death. Her boyfriend was released from police custody.

If she’s convicted, she faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.