IMPD: Arrest made after 5-year-old pronounced dead after falling down stairs

INDIANAPOLIS -- A 5-year-old has been pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive after falling down the stairs of a home on the near east side of Indianapolis.




Just after 11 a.m. on Monday, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to a home on the 200 block of N Lasalle Street, according to a news release from the department. When officers arrived, they located 5-year-old Zara Arnold inside the home.

IMPD said that Arnold was "unresponsive after falling down the stairs" and had "injuries consistent with trauma." Officials said in the release that Arnold was pronounced dead after officers performed lifesaving measures on the child.




The release said that child abuse detectives responded to the scene to begin the investigation. As the investigation progressed, Arnold's father, who was not identified by name by the department in the release, was arrested on preliminary charges of child neglect of a dependent and murder.

According to jail records, 41-year-old Zachary Arnold was arrested on Monday on preliminary charges of child neglect of a dependent and murder.




"I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of 5-year-old Zara," said IMPD Chief of Police Chris Bailey. "No child should suffer such harm, especially in a place that should be safe: their home. Thank you to our detectives for their quick and thorough work in making an arrest in this tragic case."




Officials said that the Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decision. Anyone with information about the incident are asked to contact the department's child abuse office at (317) 327-6875.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/impd-arrest-made-after-5-year-old-pronounced-dead-after-falling-down-stairs/