Staff Reports
A six-month investigation that began in March after a lifeless and extremely underweight teen was brought to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour led to the arrests of three city residents earlier this week, police report.
Pamela Faye Hatfield, 63, Donna Faye Burton, 41, and Stevy Ray Geise, 33, all face Level 6 felony charges of neglect of a dependent and were booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown.
The 14-year-old, who also had a low body core temperature and a very high blood sugar level when taken to the emergency room, has since recovered and been released, according to a news release from Lt. C.J. Foster with the Seymour Police Department.
The incident that led to the arrest of the trio started March 16 when investigators with the Seymour Police Department received information from the Indiana Department of Child Services that a 14-year-old child had been brought to the emergency room at Schneck, Foster said.
He said emergency room staff immediately began life-saving procedures. The child was later transferred to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis and admitted to the intensive care unit, where they remained for several days, Foster said.
As part of the investigation, police recently received Jackson Circuit Court arrest warrants for the three.
Hatfield, who was arrested Tuesday by Seymour officers, has since been released from jail, Foster said.
Burton and Geise were arrested by city officers Wednesday and remain in jail pending initial court appearances.