An Ohio couple were arrested earlier this month for the death of their toddler daughter at a US Air Force base in Florida two years ago.
Kodi Glenn Simon and Kateri Ann Simon, both 30, were arrested near Cleveland last week and charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 2-year-old Maeve Simon in November 2022.
The US Attorney for the Middle District of Florida announced the indictment against the couple on Wednesday, saying the incident took place at MacDill Air Force Base inTampa.
Kodi Simon, at the time a US Marine, was court-martialed over the incident last year, found guilty of child endangerment, negligent homicide, and involuntary manslaughter, and given a bad conduct discharge.
According to the court-martial documents, the couple had placed “a foam mattress and suitcase filled with books” on top of Maeve’s portable crib. The heavy suitcase, said to weigh about 50 pounds, collapsed on the little girl, killing her by “mechanical asphyxiation.”
A report from the Florida Department of Children and Families said that the little girl regularly had trouble sleeping at night and would often climb out of the crib, creating havoc in her room and waking her 4- and 6-year-old siblings, the Tampa Bay Times reported. They first tried to cover her Pack N’ Play with a mesh top and put the girl into a sleep sack that restricted movement, but she escaped that as well.
Finally, they began stacking the suitcase and the kids’ foam coach on top of the crib.
On the night of Maeve’s death, Kodi Simon said he put the children to bed by 9 p.m. and heard Maeve talking for another 15 minutes. When she stopped, he assumed she had fallen asleep. Kateri Simon came home a few hours later but did not check on Maeve until about 9:30 the next morning, when she found the suitcase and foam couch pinning the little girl down at the neck.
The parents called 911, but she was pronounced dead on a arrival at a hospital.
“The parents knowingly placed items over the top of the toddler’s Pack N’ Play in an effort to keep her confined inside,” the report said. “Although they were not doing it for discipline purposes, and although they were not willfully trying to harm her, their actions ultimately led to her demise.”
DCF said that the other children were well cared for and there were no prior concerns about the children’s welfare.
Law&Crime said that Kodi Simon waived extradition and is being brought back to Florida. Kateri Simon was released on a $20,000 bond.
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[Featured image: Kodi Simon and Kateri Simon/Mahoning County Jail]
