Indianapolis parents charged in death of malnourished 1-year-old son

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A couple from Indianapolis face felony for their roles in the death of their 1-year-old son, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Tuesday.

Angel Guadalupe Rosales Alvarado died less than 20 minutes after arriving at Eskenazi Hospital on Nov. 17, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by News 8. His parents, 31-year-old Wendy Alvarado and 35-year-old Dunio Duarte-Rosales, had accompanied him to the hospital.

According to the PC, Alvarado had bruises and cuts all over his body and was “very malnourished and underweight.” The deputy coroner who examined Alvarado at the hospital told investigators he weighed less than 11 pounds.

Investigators at the hospital spoke with Wendy Alvarado at the hospital, who told them Duarte-Rosales went back home to take care of their other children — two toddlers and two elementary-aged children — as they were home alone. Court papers say hospital staff heard the couple “arguing in the waiting room, where Dunio stated, ‘It’s all your fault’ before leaving the hospital.”

Detectives learned the family rented a room at a home in the 3300 block of West Michigan Street and went to speak with the landlord, identified by investigators as “BE.”

BE told investigators he “usually sees the four other children…playing outside playing or going to the park” but stated that he “had not seen the youngest child.”

BE said he “once had a conversation with Duarte-Rosales where Duarte-Rosales stated the 1-year-old does not come outside due to something from when the child was born. BE stated he was not sure what Dunio meant,” Det. Robert Burns wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

Detectives got a search warrant for the family’s residence and found no one inside. Det. Burns described the apartment as being “filthy with trash and cockroaches throughout.”

Just after 3 p.m. on Nov. 17, IMPD officers located Duarte-Rosales’ vehicle, a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer. He was taken into custody and a family case manager from the Indiana Department of Child Services took custody of the two toddlers who were inside the the SUV, court papers say.

The older two children were found at school and brought to the IMPD Child Abuse Office for interviews.

Det. Burns sat down with Duarte-Rosales to talk about the child’s death. According to Burns, Duarte-Rosales said he was getting ready to leave the house when Alvarado told him “something was wrong with Angel.”

“(He) stated he went touched Angel on the cheek, and discovered that Angel was cold to the touch and observed him not breathing normally,” Det. Burns wrote in the PC. “He stated he last saw Angel normal approximately five minutes before when he outside to start the vehicle. He stated Angel was warm and smiling the last time he saw him.”

When asked about the argument overheard by hospital staff, Duarte-Rosales said his comment stating that it was “all your fault” was him being upset with Alvarado that his cell phone was lost.

Duarte-Rosales told police that Angel was born one month premature, spent one month in a coma with a nasal tube because he could not eat on his own. He said the little boy “barely eats” and that one can of baby formula would last “1-2 months,” court papers say.

Detective Burns asked Duarte-Rosales multiple times why no one took Angel to see a doctor.

“(He) stated he didn’t think Angel needed a doctor to due Angel always smiling and laughing,” Burns wrote in the PC. “When asked multiple times about Angel’s malnourished appearance, he stated he didn’t think anything was wrong due to the doctors telling him at the hospital that Angel would always be small and thin.”

When asked about the cuts and scratches on Angel’s body, Burns says Duarte-Rosales stated the child would “scratch himself.” When asked about the bruising on Angel’s body, Duarte-Rosales “didn’t have a response.”

Court papers say Duarte-Rosales later admitted to smoking methamphetamine before he took Angel and Wendy Alvarado to the emergency room.

Duarte-Rosales and Alvarado were subsequently arrested by Detective Burns for neglect of a dependent resulting in death. They made their first court appearances at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Online jail records indicate Duarte-Rosales and Alvarado are both on a federal immigration hold.

Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local:

• 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
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
• La Plaza Indy
• The Julian Center
• Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673

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