A Pennsylvania woman is accused of fatally poisoning her boyfriend’s 18-month-old daughter by feeding her batteries, screws and nail polish remover after she researched the dangerous effects of the items on a child before the murder.
Aleisia Owens, 20, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing Iris Rita Alfera after an autopsy determined the child died from lethal levels of acetone in her blood, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced.
Owens had been staying with Iris’ father, Bailey Jacoby, when he left home to go to the store on June 25, 2023.
Jacoby, who has visitation rights with Iris, then receives a call from Owens that something is wrong with his daughter.
She rushed to the New Castle home to find her baby girl unresponsive and immediately called 911, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WPIX.
An autopsy showed that Iris Rita Alfera had swallowed numerous “water beads”, along with button-shaped batteries and metal screws. Iris’ Angels / Facebook Iris Rita Alfera was allegedly killed by her father’s girlfriend, who reportedly poisoned the child. Angel Iris / Facebook
Iris was rushed to Jameson Hospital of UPMC in New Castle, Pa., for treatment but she was then airlifted about an hour later to Children’s Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh.
The child died four days later of organ failure.
Iris lives with her mother, Emily Alfera, and her grandparents while her father, Jacoby, has visitation rights.
Owens had told police that the girl had hit her head after she had a “seizure” and fell off her bed, according to the complaint.
Aleisia Owens was taken to the Lawrence County Jail and is being held without bond. Lawrence County Jail
However, an autopsy showed that Iris had swallowed numerous “water beads,” along with button-shaped batteries and metal screws, months before she died, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
A search of Owens’ phone revealed he had searched for “information about household products that could cause serious injury or death to children, including water beads, batteries and nail polish,” from February to June 2023.
Police found she had also searched for “beauty products that are poisonous to children” and “drugs that cause accidental poisoning deaths in children.”
The child died four days after arriving at the hospital from organ failure. Angel Iris / Facebook
Acetone is found in nail polish remover.
New Castle Police Chief Robert Salem said the malicious discovery on Owens’ phone was “an important piece of evidence against him.”
“The details of this case are heartbreaking. It’s hard to fathom someone taking deliberate steps to injure a defenseless child, then mislead investigators about what happened,” Henry said in a statement.
“The investigation showed that, for months, the defendant conducted thorough research on how certain substances harmed children. He was then charged with acting on his findings.”
Jacoby had lived with Owens for about a year before he was charged with killing his daughter.
Police have not arrested Jacoby in connection with her daughter’s death because “at this time, there is absolutely no evidence linking her or anyone else to the baby’s death,” Salem told the New Castle News.
Iris with her mother, Emily Alfera. Angel Iris / Facebook
“There is nothing throughout the investigation to indicate that he had any knowledge or involvement in what happened to the baby. He was questioned several times and was cooperative.”
Owens faces murder charges and has also been slapped with attempted murder, aggravated assault on a child, endangering the welfare of a child, and “other offenses of conduct leading to the death of an infant and other acts of abuse in the previous month.”
The alleged child killer appeared before Judge Richard A. Russo on Thursday to be read his charges, where he sat “dry-eyed and expressionless,” the New Castle News reported.
Emily Alfera has continued to post heartbreaking tributes to her daughter since she was charged with murder. Angel Iris / Facebook
Owens was taken to the Lawrence County Jail and held without bond.
“We’re glad they finally caught him. That’s the first step. It will be a long process in the court system,” the child’s grandfather, Frank Alfera, told the outlet.
Emily Alfera posted a heartbreaking tribute to her daughter after she was charged with murder.
“I have no words for what happened to my beautiful angel baby, never in my life did I think I would say goodbye to the biggest light in my life,” wrote Emily Alfera on her Facebook the day after Iris died.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
