News / International
3yr old dies after being locked in her freezing room for wetting the bed
04 Mar 2012 at 23:10hrs | Views
A three-year-old girl from America's northernmost community died and her younger sister suffered hypothermia after their mother and her boyfriend left them in a locked bedroom with a window open to a temperature of minus 30 degrees to air out the room because the girls wet their beds, authorities said.
The couple shared a home with Edwards-Gust's 1 and 3 year-old daughters in the Inupiat Eskimo community of Barrow.
Police say the two girls last month were trapped overnight in their bedroom with a window open to temperatures that dropped to 30 degrees below zero.
Both children were diagnosed with extreme hypothermia and flown to an Anchorage hospital, where the three-year-old died.
Tilden later told authorities he'd been drinking the night before and opened the bedroom window to air out the room because the girls wet their beds, according to court documents.
He also said the door's latch was broken, making it impossible for anyone inside the room to open it.
A grand jury on Friday indicted Tilden and Edwards-Gust on charges including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Tilden also faces second-degree murder and assault charges. He was arrested last month.
A warrant has been issued for Edwards-Gust's arrest. Police didn't immediately return a message Saturday, and a home listing for Barrow's police chief was disconnected.
Tilden later said he bought two bottles of whiskey from a bootlegger and began drinking the night before the children were found in the bedroom with the open window and broken door latch, authorities said.
Two empty bottles were found in the apartment.
Tilden also told officers he opened the bedroom window because the girls wet their beds, and he didn't close it before going to bed.
In earlier interviews, Edwards-Gust told officers the girls were sleeping in their beds when she went to work that morning.
The couple shared a home with Edwards-Gust's 1 and 3 year-old daughters in the Inupiat Eskimo community of Barrow.
Police say the two girls last month were trapped overnight in their bedroom with a window open to temperatures that dropped to 30 degrees below zero.
Both children were diagnosed with extreme hypothermia and flown to an Anchorage hospital, where the three-year-old died.
Tilden later told authorities he'd been drinking the night before and opened the bedroom window to air out the room because the girls wet their beds, according to court documents.
He also said the door's latch was broken, making it impossible for anyone inside the room to open it.
A grand jury on Friday indicted Tilden and Edwards-Gust on charges including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Tilden also faces second-degree murder and assault charges. He was arrested last month.
Tilden later said he bought two bottles of whiskey from a bootlegger and began drinking the night before the children were found in the bedroom with the open window and broken door latch, authorities said.
Two empty bottles were found in the apartment.
Tilden also told officers he opened the bedroom window because the girls wet their beds, and he didn't close it before going to bed.
In earlier interviews, Edwards-Gust told officers the girls were sleeping in their beds when she went to work that morning.
Source - Daily Mail
