A tragic case of neglect in Indiana led to the death of a 2-year-old girl, whose body temperature reached a fatal 109°F after being left overnight in a closet with a space heater.

Police responded to an apartment in Berne on November 27, finding the child in a crib on a soiled mattress amid trash and feces. The closet’s temperature reached 108.3°F, while the rest of the apartment was significantly cooler.

Parents Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, admitted they left the child unattended for over 18 hours. An autopsy confirmed hyperthermia as the cause of death. Their two other children, found in unsafe conditions, were removed from the home.

Perez and Hirschy face charges of neglect resulting in death and additional neglect charges. They remain in custody as the case sparks outrage over extreme child neglect.