INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis mother has been charged after her infant son was left untreated and eventually died from COVID-19.
IMPD began investigating the child’s death on Nov. 28, 2021, when officers were called to a home on East 42nd Street to find the 3-month-old boy unresponsive. CPR was performed until paramedics arrived. The child later died at the hospital.
26-year-old Madelissa Flores told police her child had been sick for days before his death, but she wanted him to heal “naturally.” She also told police the baby had congestion, wheezing, difficulty breathing, a stuffy nose and a cough since Nov. 25.
Doctors examining the baby learned he also had fractures in both femurs. An autopsy report in January determined the child died due to a COVID-19 infection.
Police described Flores’ home as “filthy,” with no electricity, the floor covered with dirty diapers, rotting food, alcohol bottles and an open container of antifreeze on the floor. There was no food in the refrigerator, and a “marijuana cigar” was left on the bedroom floor.
Neighbors told police Flores frequently left her children home alone. Flores’ oldest child told police that Flores wasn’t even home when the baby stopped breathing.
Flores was charged on Feb. 15 and had her initial hearing on Thursday. Flores is due back in court in May.
