DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
DECATUR – Two Adams County parents have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in connection with the death of their two-year-old child in December 2024.
Jace Hirschy, 24, and Sintia Perez, 22, each pleaded guilty in Adams Circuit Court to charges of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, as well as two additional counts of Neglect of a Dependent. The plea agreements accepted by the court require each to serve 40 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with 10 years suspended. The remaining 30 years are to be served in prison, followed by two years of formal probation upon their release.
Hirschy was sentenced on June 27, and Perez was sentenced on July 1.
The charges stem from a tragic incident on December 4, 2024, when Berne police and emergency responders were called to an apartment after Hirschy requested medical assistance for his child. The toddler was found deceased inside a crib located in a closet, with the closet door nearly closed and a space heater running nearby. Investigators determined that the child had been left unattended in the confined space with the heater turned on overnight, causing the temperature inside the closet to exceed 100 degrees.
Temperature readings taken at the scene, including those on the child’s body, confirmed exposure to extreme heat. An autopsy later revealed the child died from hyperthermia—dangerously high body temperature—due to prolonged heat exposure.
Perez, the child’s mother, was also present in the home at the time of the incident. Following the discovery, two other children in the residence were removed by the Indiana Department of Child Services to ensure their safety.
The Adams County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged both parents within days of the child’s death, launching a case that has drawn community concern over child safety and neglect.
Both Hirschy and Perez will remain in state custody as they begin serving their 30-year executed sentences.
About the Author
