‘Did I do this?’: Shelbyville mom charged after infant son found dead, ‘decomposing’

DISCLAIMER: This article contains depictions of severe child neglect and may be distressing to some readers.

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Formal charges have been filed against a Shelby County mom arrested after her infant son was found dead inside her Shelbyville home Wednesday.

News 8 first reported on Sophie Igou’s arrest Thursday, a day after she’d called 911 to report her “baby was dead” and “cold to the touch.”

According to a probable cause affidavit, Shelbyville police officers were dispatched to Sophie’s home in the 900 block of Hale Road around 10:46 p.m. Wednesday.

Upon arrival, they were met by Sophie Igou standing in the driveway and holding the body of her son, 22-month-old Jasper Igou.

Police added the infant, wrapped in a sheet, had been handed off to a responding officer. The officer noted Jasper “appeared to have been deceased for a significant amount of time.”

While on scene, Sophie reportedly asked investigators, “Am I going to jail now?”

In later conversations with detectives, the affidavit says Sophie was the sole caretaker of her three children, and that she and her husband had been separated since November 2024. Her husband had not seen the children in five weeks, she told police.

When describing the events leading up to Jasper’s death, Sophie told detectives he’d had trouble eating and threw up on her that day. She also changed his diaper that day before Jasper went to bed.

She added she “could not take her children to the doctor because she was ‘trying to get her bearings as a single mom,” and claimed she’d been the only person around the kids for five weeks. She’d also been working on getting her 8-year-old child registered for online school, Sophie told police, and that she’d been trying to schedule the kids doctor’s appointments.

Police say when examining Jasper, they noted his body was “in a significant state of decomposition” and had a “significant amount” of feces in his diaper.

Conditions in Sophie Igou’s house were considered “extremely poor ” and “unsafe” for human beings. Investigators noted the house’s interior was covered in trash and insects, and “demonstrative of hoarding behavior.”

Police also found “decomposing matter” in Jasper’s crib.

Sophie “appeared to act surprised” when detectives confronted her with Jasper’s condition, court documents say.

“Did I do this?” she asked.

Coroners performed an autopsy on Friday, but the results are pending. In the affidavit, detectives described Jasper’s body “extremely emaciated and malnourished,” his body only weighing 14 pounds. According to the World Health Organization, the average weight of a 22-month-old boy is at least 25 pounds.

Detectives also found that Jasper had not been to the doctor since he was two months old, and Sophie’s 8-year-old child had no record of ever attending school.

Sophie Igou was being held at the Shelby County jail on five counts of child neglect, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Her bond was set at $2 million.

Help is available for victims of domestic violence. Below is a list of suggested resources on the Domestic Violence Network website:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
• National Domestic Violence Hotline en español: 800-799-7233 o texto “START” al 88788
• Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
• Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
• La Plaza Indy
• The Julian Center
• Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673

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