An Indiana woman and her 16-year-old boyfriend were charged on Friday with abusing her 4-year-old daughter, who reportedly succumbed to her injuries on Sunday.

The Courier & Press reported that Octavia Aquino was found to have very little brain activity after Evansville police were called to her home. Aquino’s mother, Destiny Rhoades, 23, claimed she found her not breathing — and officers noted she had a bite mark on her arm and bruises on her legs and neck.

Police learned that Rhoades’ 16-year-old boyfriend, Christian Gonzalez, had bitten Aquino a day before police were called to the home. Rhoades claimed she confronted Gonzalez about the bite mark, and he claimed it was caused by a cat, according to the Courier & Press.

Gonzalez allegedly admitted to biting Aquino after Rhoades lied and claimed there was a camera in the living room. Rhoades claimed Gonzalez said he bit her daughter because she bit him first, the Courier & Press reported.

Rhoades allegedly went on to tell police that her daughter accused Gonzalez of biting her while covering her mouth.

According to the Courier & Press, Gonzalez is classified as a missing teen from Fort Wayne — and Rhoades has a protective order issued against her for helping her boyfriend escape from a detention facility in Evansville and run away from his guardian.

Rhoades reportedly told cops that her daughter was behaving oddly and only ate a bag of Cheetos after the biting incident. She also claimed her daughter had vomited, but she believed it was due to anxiety.

Rhoades was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. According to WEHT, Gonzalez was charged as an adult with battery resulting in serious injury. However, the Courier & Press reported that he has since been charged with murder.

An autopsy is scheduled for this week.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:

[Featured image: GoFundMe]