BEDFORD, INDIANA: Cheyenne Hill, 33, a Bedford woman was arrested in Michigan on a charge of child neglect for causing the death of 18-month-old Elliaunna (Elli) M Plummer.
A post-mortem report of Hill’s daughter revealed malnourishment and the cause of death was listed blunt force trauma to the head.
The doctors had determined the death of the toddler as a homicide.
Hill has been charged of a level 1 felony and according to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department she was arrested and formally charged on September 26, Tuesday for the November 26, 2022 death of the toddler.
Court records state that several witnesses had mentioned noticing swelling and bruising on the toddler's face and head last November days before the child's death.
Cheyenne Hill refused to take care of injured child
Court records also have several examples of Hill's reluctance to take care of her child.
A report in Fox News states that investigators were informed how one witness tried to point out to Hill about the toddler's condition and that she needed medical care.
The mother reportedly snapped back at the well-wisher saying: “Under no circumstances are you to call an ambulance or take her in (to the hospital) yourself. I will make the decisions. That is my child.”
The child was taken to the hospital only eight days after being in this condition.
Toddler admitted to hospital with brain bleed and bruises
On November 23, 2022, the now-deceased toddler was airlifted from IU Health Hospital Bedford to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis on account of suffering a brain bleed, a broken collar bone, and bruises on her head and face.
“Pictures of (the girl) prior to being transported to Indianapolis revealed a swollen and deformed head and bruising on her forehead and the left and right sides of her face,” states an investigator's report.
“Red-brownish marks were observable underneath both eyes.”
Tips sent to Department of Child Services
The caseworker who called law enforcement also reported that two Department of Child Services tips had been left anonymously about Hill reporting about possible drug use and almost certain child abuse, in the days leading up to the initial hospital visit.
The second call came on the day the child was taken to the hospital, says the affidavit.
The document reads, "The caller reported (the girl) had had what appeared to be three fingerprint marks on one side of her face and one on the other consistent with what seemed to have been caused by someone grabbing her face and squeezing.”
“The caller described (the girl) condition as lethargic, that she would not wake up, appeared ‘half dead,’ and could barely hold her head up. The caller stated (the girl) mother left for work, leaving (the girl) with the individual she had been living with despite (the girl) condition.”
According to the affidavit, Hill later told the investigator that she had first noticed warning signs early morning the day the toddler was hospitalized.
The babysitter had noticed the injuries on the toddler days ahead, but was allegedly told by Hill not to call for medical assistance, states the affidavit.
Police allege the neglect and abuse began latest by October 2022 and continued up until the child’s death.
Cheyenne Hill's attitude towards her daughter
The probable cause affidavit contains numerous instances in which Hill allegedly expressed extreme disdain for her daughter. Multiple witnesses have also attested to cruel behavior and signs of child abuse.
In an interview with a representative for a donor network on November 25, Hill allegedly described her daughter as “not a nice kid,” adding that her child would have been the next “Jeffrey Dahmer” because “something wasn’t right with her," states the Fox News report.
Hill said that her daughter " was f**king terrible last night when we came back. I wouldn’t stop crying. I wanted to throw her,” in a message to her boyfriend Cameron Fleming.
Another text to Fleming mentioning her daughter read, "Let me get this a*****e to bed.”
Fleming told investigators that Hill would throw food on the floor for her daughter to eat and called it “free roaming.”
Days before the ill-fated toddler was hospitalized, Hill reportedly confided in her co-worker that her baby “used to be beautiful and now she is ugly.” Hill also was under the impression that her boyfriend would not marry her because of her baby.
Court documents state that Hill took her baby to the hospital on Nov 23, 2022, only at the insistence of her boyfriend.
If convicted, Hill could face between 20 and 40 years in prison for a Level 1 felony.
