A child found dead in a home in Gary’s Miller neighborhood last week likely died 12 hours before her foster mother called authorities, according to court documents.
Jamilia Shenese Hodge, 32, was charged in Lake Superior Court with murder stemming from the death of 20-month-old Emma Salinas. Hodge also was charged with aggravated battery, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, battery resulting in death to a person younger than 14 and battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person younger than 14.
The murder charge is punishable by 45-65 years.
Hodge told police that Emma was one of four foster children in her care. She called 911 around 11:42 a.m. Thursday to report that the child had died, according to court records.
Autopsy findings showed the girl suffered a possible dislocation of vertebrae in her neck and died of asphyxia due to suffocation, which was complicated by blunt force trauma to the head. The child also had bleeding on the brain, the probable cause affidavit states.
The forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy estimated the child had been dead at least 12 hours before the 911 call, according to court records.
In an interview with police, Hodge said she took two of her foster children to school that morning, returned home to take a third child to school and came back home around 8 a.m., when she noticed Emma’s face was facing the wall in the same position as when Hodge left, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Emma had arrived home around 7:30 p.m. May 2 from visiting her biological mother, who complained the child was sick with a fever and diarrhea, records state.
Hodge’s boyfriend returned to the Miller home around midnight May 3 and heard Emma yelling or crying in the crib while the other children in the bedroom were trying to sleep, records state. The boyfriend told police he opened the bedroom door and told Emma to quiet down, and she did, records state.
Hodge said she did not get out of bed when her boyfriend and his brother came home from working out, but both said Hodge was awake and in the kitchen when they came home, records state.
In a follow-up interview, Hodge said she put a hand over the toddler’s face to stop her from crying and put her left hand on the child’s chest as she lay on her back, records state. As she spoke with investigators, Hodge started crying and said she was sorry for what happened and that it was an accident, records state.
Attempts to contact Emma’s biological mother were not successful.
Indiana Department of Child Services spokesman James Wide said in an email that he could not confirm specific details in the case or where the other children living with Hodge at the time of the child’s death would be placed.
“If there is a situation where a parent/guardian is arrested and there are children present, law enforcement will contact our local office to ensure the children are safe,” he wrote. “We would look for appropriate relatives for placement. If no relatives are available, we look for a non-relative placement.”
Before foster parents are licensed in Indiana, they must go through a screening process that includes fingerprinting and a national criminal background check, and complete First Aid, CPR and Universal Precautions training. They must be at least 21, demonstrate financial stability, prove they live in a place that passes fire and physical safety standards, consent to home visits and complete licensing paperwork, Wide said.
Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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