'Malnourished' 2-Year-Old Found Dead; Parents Charged with Murder Seek Lower Bond

A couple who are also suspects in the murder of a toddler appeared in court on March 31, asking for a lower bond.

Parents of the toddler, identified as Trevor Reichard and Katherine Carter, were both taken into custody after the police responded to a call at their residence, regarding the death of their 2-year-old child, Erick Reichard. The toddler had died at the residence of the couple, who are suspected of his murder.

When the police reached the residence, they found the toddler already dead, and said it might be possible that he had been dead for a while and appeared malnourished. The police also mentioned that the toddler had several dozen sores and bug bites on his body.

Carter, the mother of the toddler, told police that the child had been eating his diaper. During the autopsy, officials removed materials from the toddler’s system that were consistent with drywall, paint chips, or spackling from the home, along with the diaper material.

The police also said the toddler was living in very poor conditions, with feces and bugs in many of the rooms of the house. The couple is charged with murder and several counts of neglect of a dependent.

Both suspects appeared in Perry County court on March 31 and requested the judge to reduce the amount of their bonds. The initial bond was set to no bond after the couple was arrested for the murder. The court record shows that there will be two separate trials for the parents. The trial for Reichard is set on September 14, while Carter's trial is set for September 28.

In another similar incident, a woman in Florida was asked to stay away from her toddler after she left him alone at home. The child flagged down police and indicated that his mother had left him alone. The police tracked down and arrested the woman on March 8.

Law&Crime reported that in the body camera footage, the 5-year-old boy, whose name has not been made public, can be seen approaching officers. When asked if he was alone, he said, “She didn’t tell me what time she would come home.”

Several officers from the Florida Department of Child and Family Services had reached out to the woman, but did not get a response. In one of the calls, she mentioned that a friend of hers would pick up the 5-year-old child, however, that did not work out, as the friend was not comfortable with the situation.

The woman was tracked down and ultimately arrested the next day by police.