NEW CASTLE, Pa. (TCD) — Officials arrested a 20-year-old woman this week after she allegedly forced her boyfriend’s 1-year-old daughter to ingest harmful objects for months and fatally poisoned her with acetone.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Thursday, Jan. 11, that her office charged Aleisia Owens with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, and other offenses related to the alleged abuse and death of Iris Alfera.
According to the attorney general’s office, on June 25, 2023, emergency responders went to the home of Bailey Jacoby, Owens’ boyfriend, where they found his 1-year-old daughter, Alfera, unresponsive. The child was transported to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Jameson Hospital for treatment, and she was later airlifted to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital. Despite treatment, Alfera died on June 29, 2023.
An autopsy revealed the 1-year-old died due to a fatal dose of acetone, which officials believe she had ingested shortly before her death. Months before she died, Alfera had reportedly been hospitalized after she allegedly swallowed different objects, including 20 water beads, batteries, and a metal screw.
According to the attorney general’s office, from around February 2023 until June 2023, Owens had “conducted web searches on her cellphone related to the actions that ultimately led to the child’s death.” She allegedly researched household items that could harm or kill a child, including water beads, batteries, and nail polish.
The attorney general’s office alleges Owens searched phrases such as “beauty products that are poisonous to kids” and “medications leading to cause accidental poisoning deaths in children.”
Water beads are often used in children’s toys and can cause serious harm if they are swallowed.
The attorney general’s office filed the charges against Owens on Jan. 11, and she was denied bail.
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