Mother and 16-year-old boy arrested in death of 4-year-old, police say

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - A mother and a 16-year-old were arrested after police in Indiana said a little girl died Sunday after being found unresponsive.

The Evansville Police Department said the 4-year-old girl was identified as Octavia Aquino. Her mother, 23-year-old Destiny Rhoades, was facing a charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, but that was changed to a charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a level 1 felony.

Police also said Rhoades’ 16-year-old boyfriend Christian Gonzalez was arrested and appeared in juvenile court before being waived to adult court.

Officials said Gonzalez’s original charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury was changed to a murder charge.

Authorities said he was taken to the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center.

Officials are awaiting the results of an autopsy conducted on Octavia to determine her exact cause of death.

WFIE spoke with Octavia’s grandmother, Linda Alvarez, who said she had seen Octavia almost every day.

“I feel lost,” she said. “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.”

Police said two other adults live in the apartment with Alvarez.

They said one of them noticed bruises and a possible bite mark on the girl while she was in Rhoades’ care the night before.

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