An Ohio man has been arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly suffocated his crying 4-month-old daughter with a pacifier so that he could go back to sleep.
Chance Terrence Topp is preparing to go to trial after being arrested in connection to the October 2023 death of the infant.
Topp, 28, has been charged with aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, strangulation, reckless homicide, domestic violence, falsification and two counts of endangering children.
The Licking County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies responded to a report of a lifeless infant at a residence around 7:32 p.m. on October 13, 2023. Upon their arrival, emergency medical personnel found the baby and transported her to Licking Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital, where staff observed “suspicious injuries” on the child. In light of the discovery, a 20-month investigation was launched into the child’s death.
Topp was reportedly watching the baby at the time of the incident while her mother was at work.
He initially told detectives that he was asleep when he heard the baby gasping for air, according to court documents viewed by WBNS. Topp then claimed that he took her out of her crib to administer CPR, but failed to call 911.
However, family members reportedly claimed during the investigation process that they often heard the baby screaming and previously yelled at Topp for not taking care of the baby, per WCMH.
Topp allegedly refused their help and blocked his family members from seeing the baby. The family members also revealed that Topp often stayed up late playing video games, drank alcohol and did not give proper attention to the infant.
The baby’s autopsy determined that her manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was asphyxia, with the coroner adding that they found red marks on her neck and bruising on her jawline.
The infant tested positive for delta-8 THC, according to toxicology reports. The discovery was made after Topp admitted he smoked in the same room as the baby.
Investigators ultimately determined that Topp wanted to go back to sleep, so he allegedly used excessive force to hold the pacifier in her mouth and suffocated her in the process.
Assistant Prosecutor Tyler McCoy said Topp was deceptive throughout the lengthy investigation, though he ultimately confessed to being responsible for the baby’s death.
“This has been a long investigation by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Topp has been interviewed multiple times and showed deceptive conduct and made deceptive statements throughout the interviews and once he was arrested he did in fact admit he put too much force on the baby’s mouth with the pacifier and she went unresponsive,” he said, per WBNS.
Topp is currently being held in the Licking County Jail on a $200,000 bond. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 27.
It is not currently clear if Topp has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
