Teen Accused of Slaying 4-Year-Old After Cops Discover Grisly Bite Marks
In a deeply tragic and disturbing case, a young Indiana girl died on Sunday after her mother’s teenage boyfriend allegedly bit her on the arm, authorities report.
On Friday, June 14, Evansville police were called to the Spring Valley Road apartment of Destiny Rhoades, 23, after she found her daughter, Octavia Aquino, 4, unresponsive. The Evansville Police Department detailed in a Facebook news release that the little girl was “beyond help” when officers arrived.
The first responding officer described Octavia as “cold to the touch.” The Evansville Fire Department arrived and immediately began trying to revive her. They managed to transport her to a local hospital alive, but with “very little brain activity.”
Rhoades was at work when Octavia was found unresponsive. Her boyfriend, Christian T. Gonzalez, 16, of Fort Wayne, was in the apartment along with three other adult women who live there. All four were taken to police headquarters for interviews, though Gonzalez was not initially interviewed due to his age.
Rhoades told police that when she left for work at 7 a.m., Octavia was asleep. However, a roommate reported seeing bruises on the child’s body the previous day, particularly around her neck, as well as a human bite mark on her forearm. Detectives learned that Gonzalez admitted to biting Octavia but claimed it was in retaliation after she bit him first.
One roommate also noted that Octavia “seemed to be staring off and was nauseous” while in Rhoades’ care the night before she was found unresponsive.
Rhoades was initially charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. After Octavia died on Sunday, the charge was updated to neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Gonzalez appeared in juvenile court on Monday and was waived to adult court. He was initially charged as an adult with battery resulting in serious injury, but the charges were later upgraded to murder.
An autopsy is scheduled for later this week as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Octavia’s death.
Octavia’s family is devastated by her loss. Her grandmother, Linda Alvarez, shared her heartbreak with local station WFIE, describing Octavia as a happy, vibrant child. “I feel lost. I feel broken. She’s just one of the happiest, always smiling, full of life, spunky little girls that I’ve ever met in my life,” Alvarez said. “I don’t understand how anyone can hurt an innocent little baby. She’s four.”
It is not clear whether Rhoades and Gonzalez have attorneys who can speak on their behalf at this time.
