Tip Leads to Search of Property in Wheatfield
On the morning of September 20, 2024, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office received a report that an individual had allegedly confessed to acquaintances about killing two of their undocumented children and burning their bodies in a backyard fire pit at their residence in Wheatfield. Detectives from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an investigation into the matter.
That same day, detectives located the suspect(s) at a hotel in Newton County and conducted interviews. Although the suspect(s) denied any involvement, their cellular devices were seized as evidence, and additional information was uncovered, according to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.
Following this new evidence, detectives sought out the suspect(s) again. When confronted with the new findings, the suspect(s) continued to deny knowledge of the incident. At this point, the child who was in their care was taken into protective custody by the Indiana Department of Child Services.
In the morning of September 30, 2024, the Jasper County Sheriff’s detectives, alongside personnel of the Jasper County Coroner’s Office, Indiana State Police, Wheatfield Police Department, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, conducted a search of the property in Wheatfield with the assistance of two cadaver dogs. With the cooperation of the landowner and the current residents, the search began, and the cadaver dogs alerted to three separate locations on the property. A preliminary search at these locations uncovered partial bone fragments.
On October 1, 2024, the bone fragments were submitted to a specialist, in Indianapolis, for analysis to determine if they were from an infant or an animal. Further investigation of the property is pending the results of this analysis.
If anyone has information that they feel may be relevant to this investigation, please contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at (219) 866-7334 and ask to speak with one of our Detectives.
