Dad Left Baby Girl in Swing to Die, Then Drove to Another State — and His Reason Was Chilling By Christine Pelisek

An Indiana man pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury on Thursday, Nov. 6, in connection with the death of his 3-month-old daughter.

Jacob Vera is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, Muncie Police Department officers were called to the Bestway Inn in Muncie around 8:30 p.m. on March 25, 2023.

The girl’s mother, Jessica Brown, said she arrived home from work and found one of her children standing in a mobile crib crying. Her other child, Isabella, was found “swaddled in a blanket and rocking in a baby swing,” per the affidavit.

Both children were being taken care of by Vera while Brown was at work. Brown told detectives that when she returned home, Vera was gone.

Brown told officers, she picked up Isabella and she wasn’t moving. “Brown then noticed that [Isabella] was not breathing so she ran to a nearby room for someone to call for help, as Vera had apparently left with their only phone,” states the affidavit.

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Medical personnel noted that “signs of rigor mortis were already present” in the child, indicating that she died approximately two hours before the first responders arrived.

A coroner later determined that the infant died from asphyxiation.

A motel guest told police that Vera came to his room and asked for a ride to Chicago, but the guest did not provide him with a ride.

Another witness told police the following day that Vera had asked her for a ride to Illinois around 5:45 p.m. on March 25. She said she picked him up around 6:40 p.m. and took him to Illinois in exchange for gas money.

Vera, who was in Peoria, spoke to investigators on March 28. “Vera stated that he did leave the children unattended and advised ‘if I’m guilty of anything it’s the leaving,” the affidavit states.

He told investigators he swaddled Isabella in a blanket and “then laid another blanket on top of her in the swing,” the affidavit states.

“Vera stated that when he left, [Isabella] was asleep,” states the affidavit. “Vera claimed he left the children unattended in order to travel to Illinois and to avoid any drama with Jessica Brown.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.