Docs: Muncie parents charged with neglect after death of 2-month-old

MUNCIE, Ind. — Two Muncie parents have been arrested in relation to the death of their 2-month-old in April 2023.

According to court documents recently filed in Delaware County, 33-year-old Kayla Cloyd and 37-year-old Rodney Linder were each charged with:

• One count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony
• One count of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony

On April 10, 2023, deputies with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a home in the 700 block of S. Lancaster Road in reference to an unconscious child.

When deputies arrived, the court documents found that EMS was giving a 2-month-old child CPR after the infant was located in the home. EMS personnel on the scene later stated that the infant was pronounced dead.

In an interview with Cloyd, the mother of the infant, she reportedly told law enforcement that when she woke up early that morning, the infant “was warm” and she went back to sleep. When Cloyd woke up again, she said that the infant “was cold to the touch…,” causing her to start giving the infant CPR. The documents said that Linder, the father of the child, was also present.

In an interview with the parents, they reportedly told deputies that they co-sleep with the baby on the floor. The documents said that the infant was reportedly born prematurely and was on home oxygen “when needed” at the time of death.

The documents allege that there was a breathing machine inside the home, but the oxygen tanks were empty.

During an autopsy of the infant, the document said the cause of death was ultimately undetermined. However, officials said contributory factors to the infant’s death included:

• Unsafe sleeping conditions, including co-sleeping and an inappropriate sleep surface
• History of oxygen desaturations
• Mild upper respiratory infection.

The initial hearings for both Cloyd and Linder are scheduled for Aug. 25 in Delaware County, according to court documents.