Nearly two years after a 3-month-old girl was found unresponsive at an Indiana motel, her father, Jacob Vera, has pleaded guilty to neglect that led to her death. Vera admitted he abandoned baby Isabella and her 16-month-old sister alone in a motel room so he could leave the state, leaving their only phone with him. Isabella later died from suffocation.
The incident occurred on March 25, 2023, when Jessica Brown returned from work and found one child crying and baby Isabella unresponsive in a swing. She ran for help, believing her daughter’s death was not accidental. Investigators discovered Vera had left hours earlier and traveled to Illinois, claiming he wanted to avoid conflict.
Vera now faces sentencing on December 1. Brown’s surviving child was placed in CPS care following the tragedy.