Background: News footage of the home in Enfield, Conn. where Eve Rogers was found dead on March 18 (WVIT). Inset (left): Anthony Federline (Enfield Police Department). Inset (right): Eve Rogers (GoFundMe).
The stepfather of a 12-year-old girl who was found dead in her Connecticut home was charged with sexually assaulting her.
Eve Rogers, 12, was found unresponsive by her mother, Melanie Federline, on the morning of March 18 when she tried to wake her daughter up. According to the Enfield Police Department, emergency personnel responded to the home at 10:25 a.m. and declared Eve dead at the scene. A search warrant was executed on the home, and investigators collected DNA from everyone who lived in the house.
While a cause of death has still not been announced, police said in a press release on Friday that Eve”s stepfather, 39-year-old Anthony Federline, was arrested for sexual assault and risk of injury to a child.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by local NBC affiliate WVIT, Eve was found face down on the floor of her bedroom, her lower body covered by a blanket. Blood and fluids were coming out of her nose, police said, and rigor mortis had already begun to set in.
Melanie Federline told police that she knocked on Eve’s door to wake her up, but she did not get a response. She opened the locked door with a butter knife. When she found Eve face down, she turned her over and called Anthony Federline for help.
According to the warrant, Melanie Federline told police that Eve had autism and POTS, a condition that causes an increased heartbeat when someone stands up after lying down.
Police said two pills were found in the room, one of which was aspirin. According to the warrant, evidence found on Eve’s body led police to conduct a sexual assault exam and collect DNA from everyone living in the household. Melanie Federline, Anthony Federline, and Eve’s three siblings all complied with police and provided their DNA.
According to the warrant, Anthony Federline consented to providing a DNA sample, but allegedly told investigators that it felt like the test was putting “salt in the wound.”
Investigators later determined that Anthony Federline’s DNA matched the sample taken from Eve’s body. Police charged him with sexual assault and risk of injury to a child and arrested him on April 2. He is currently being held in custody on $1 million surety bond. He has not been charged in connection with Eve’s death.
Melanie Federline told local news outlet CTPost.com on Sunday that she was “not aware of any of these allegations, and I’m still trying to understand what’s happening. I’m allowing the legal process to unfold.” She added that she was taking the allegations seriously and would continue to cooperate with investigators.
WVIT reported that Anthony Federline had been employed as a school bus driver for Enfield Public Schools through Smyth Bus Company. The school district superintendent Steven Moccio told WVIT that Anthony Federline had been terminated immediately, and that he had passed a criminal background check when he was first hired. Smyth Bus Company also told WVIT in a statement that they were cooperating with law enforcement.
Anthony Federline’s next court date was not available.
A GoFundMe page was started to cover Eve’s funeral expenses.
