WEST UNION, Ohio — One man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after an investigation into a 2-year-old's death in Adams County.
Deputies responded to the Timber Ridge Apartment Complex in West Union at around 9 a.m. Tuesday following reports of a child found unresponsive. Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam said reports show the adults inside the apartment were attempting CPR on the child when they called 911.
When they arrived, officials said the child was not breathing. First responders attempted to render aid, but the child was pronounced dead. The preliminary cause of death, Haslam said, was asphyxiation.
"We don't have very many cases where we have a dead two-year-old," Haslam said. "Rarely does it rise to this level and so (it's) very unusual to see this kind of case."
Haslam said officials also noticed "injuries consistent with abuse" on the child's siblings, a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old. Those two children were taken to local hospitals and remain in the custody of Adams County Children's Services.
Deputies arrested two people — the child's mother and 23-year-old Brian Moser, also known as Terry Smith III. Moser was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.
"Both (Moser) and the mother had a duty of care to these children," Haslam said. "We feel like with (Moser), he violated that duty of care and that failure to care for this child, and ultimately caused these very serious physical injuries, death, and that's what led us to the manslaughter charge."
Haslam said the mother was released as investigators have not directly connected her to the child's death at this time. She remains a suspect, the prosecutor said.
"Just because mother was released doesn't mean that she's not a suspect. It just means that this time we didn't have enough to hold her," Haslam said.
Haslam said the investigation into the 2-year-old's death is ongoing, and officials are investigating possible charges in connection with the conditions of the two other children found in the apartment.
Up until recently, Moser legally went by the name Terry Smith III, Haslam said, until he changed it to Brian Moser this week. That happens to be the name of a fictional serial killer on the television series Dexter.
"It's just mind-blowing that all this happened," Devon Hughes, who knew the couple, said. "(The kids) are just angels, man, and the fact that all three of them had to deal with all that, it hurts my heart."
Hughes and his girlfriend, Ciara Thurman, said there didn't appear to be any warning signs ahead of the incident.
"I never thought that (Moser) would do that," Thurman said. "I just picked up my son that night (it happened) and just held him, thankful that he was here."
