A 16-year-old Indiana boy faces murder charges and his 23-year-old girlfriend faces deadly neglect charges in connection with the death of a 4-year-old girl found with bruises and a bite mark.
Authorities have described the incident as a "very disturbing death."
Evansville police were called to the Spring Valley Road apartment of Destiny Rhoades, 23, last week.
Rhoades was at work but another roommate said she found Octavia Aquino unresponsive and "beyond help."
A police officer said the little girl was "cold to the touch," according to a news release from the Evansville Police Department.
Octavia was immediately transported to a hospital "alive" but with "very little brain activity." She died a few days later.
Rhoades' boyfriend, Christian T. Gonzalez, 16, was inside the apartment with three other adult women who also live there when Octavia was discovered.
"A roommate stated that she noticed the child had bruises on her body (on Thursday), specifically around her neck area," stated the release.
"She also had a human bite mark on her forearm. Detectives were told the 16-year-old boyfriend admitted he bit the child, but only after she bit him first."
One of the roommates told authorities that Octavia "seemed to be staring off and was nauseous' while in Rhoades' care the night before she was found unconscious.
Rhoades was arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury; however, the charge was later amended to neglect of a dependent resulting in death after the child passed away.
Gonzalez first appeared in juvenile court on Monday and the case was moved to adult court.
He was originally charged with battery resulting in serious injury but that has been upgraded to murder.
As the investigation remains ongoing, Octavia's family continues to struggle with the death.
"I feel lost," Octavia's grandmother, Linda Alvarez, told WFIE-TV. "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."
She added, "I don't understand how anyone can hurt an innocent little baby. She's four."
