July 21 – Goshen – An Elkhart woman faces felony charges in connection with the death of her own infant daughter.
Alaurev Allen, 24, was arrested on suspicion of murder, felony assault and child neglect, according to a news release from the Elkhart County District Attorney’s Office. She is being held in the Elkhart County Jail without bond until her initial hearing on Aug. 3.
“On July 7, at 7:46 p.m., the Elkhart Police and Elkhart Fire Departments were dispatched to 324 Middlebury St. in Elkhart for a six-month-old infant who was unconscious and not breathing,” the statement said. “Upon their arrival, the Elkhart Police and Elkhart Fire Department rendered aid to the child.”
The baby was taken to Elkhart General Hospital and then to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where she died on July 8. Elkhart County homicide detectives observed multiple injuries on the child’s body.
A forensic autopsy was performed on the child at the Homer Stricker School of Medicine at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. The cause of her death is said to be murder.
Allen first said she left the baby in the care of friends on July 8, and after returning home, the baby bathed her and took a long bath. When she finished, she called 911 and was told the baby was not breathing.
Allen was interviewed again on Wednesday, this time saying that she had become angry with the child and had shaken him at their Middlebury Street home on July 6, as well as hitting the child on other occasions.
Allen also said that the baby seemed cold and started vomiting after the shaking, but she did not take the baby to the hospital in time. Allen said she had previously researched “shaken baby syndrome” and found that the consequences of shaking an infant were death, the statement added.
Anyone with information about this ongoing investigation is asked to contact ECHU at 574-295-2825 or 574-296-1888.