Pennsylvania prosecutors arrested a woman for homicide on Wednesday, months after her boyfriend’s 1-year-old daughter was reportedly fatally poisoned with acetone.
Iris Jacoby-Alfera died on June 29, four days after she was allegedly found unresponsive in Aleisia Owens’ New Castle home. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the toddler died from organ failure caused by acetone poisoning — and doctors determined that her cognitive and functional changes would have been apparent to her caregivers, according to Tribune Live.
WPXI reported that Jacoby-Alfera’s father was at the store when Owens, 20, claimed his daughter fell off the bed and appeared lethargic. Owens allegedly told him that she did not hit her head when she fell. However, when Jacoby-Alfera’s father relayed this to a 911 dispatcher, Owens interjected to say the baby did hit her head.
In addition to fatal levels of acetone in her blood, doctors reportedly also determined Jacoby-Alfera suffered a brain bleed and hemorrhaging to both retinas. Her father and Owens allegedly claimed the baby seemed normal despite vomiting two or three times in the day leading up to her hospitalization.
Owens reportedly told police that she was feeding Jacoby-Alfera on the bed when the baby’s arms and legs “cramped up.” Owens claimed she then fell off the bed and onto the floor. Detectives claimed the bed Owens fell from was a 6-inch mattress sitting on a carpeted floor, according to Tribune Live.
The news outlet also reported that less than three months before Jacoby-Alfera’s death, she was hospitalized for swallowing water beads and batteries. Jacoby-Alfera was in her father’s custody at the time — and Owens had allegedly searched online about the same items his daughter was hospitalized for ingesting.
Lawrence County Children and Youth Services was informed of the incident, but it is unclear what action the agency took. Tribune Live reported that no charges were filed at that time. However, in April, Jacoby-Alfera’s mother filed a petition with the court claiming that her daughter was in danger due to her “father’s inability to appropriately supervise.” In turn, the judge ordered Jacoby-Alfera’s mother and father to complete co-parenting classes.
From February to June, Owens allegedly searched online about items that are harmful to children. WFMJ reported that she conducted searches for “beauty products that are poisonous to kids” and “medications leading to cause accidental poisoning deaths in children.”
“What should you do if your child drinks acetone” was also among the alleged searches. Owens looked up how to pass a polygraph test after her boyfriend’s daughter’s death, according to WFMJ.
Owens is charged with criminal homicide. She remains jailed without bond.
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[Featured image: Iris Jacoby-Alfera/Facebook; Aleisia Owens/New Castle Police Department]
