A man in Medina, Ohio was arrested following the discovery of his 1-year-old daughter's decomposing body in a crib inside their apartment Wednesday morning.
Eric Warfel, the father of the dead child, was charged with abuse of a corpse, according to Medina Police Chief Patrick J. Berarducci. He could possibly face additional charges once the investigation is completed, Cleveland.com has learned.
Cops were called to the Forest Meadows Apartment Homes at around 10:30 am, after a cable man checking equipment in the home found the baby's body in a crib in a "badly decomposed" state.
The cable installer immediately phoned the police. The officials were told by neighbors that they saw Warfel leave the unit the night before the cable man arrived.
"The gentleman that was here would never hook up with them. Finally he gave permission to come in today and he was gone last night, so actually the poor cable repairman was the one that discovered the child," Berarducci told FOX 8.
The corpse was reportedly sent to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office for autopsy to determine the cause of the child's death. Inspection of the apartment and gathering of evidence were conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification to find further leads to the child's death.
The baby's father was tracked by cops to Crocker Park in Westlake Wednesday afternoon with his 7-year-old daughter. He was arrested without incident and was held in the Medina County Jail pending a court appearance on a felony corpse abuse charge, as per Seattle Pi.
The date of his appearance remains undisclosed.
Warfel's daughter was interrogated before she was handed to her grandparents, Berarducci said.
Authorities are trying to locate the deceased child's mother, who could possibly be in New York City.
It's not yet clear how the child died, and cops refused to indicate foul play.
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