1-year-old dies from poisoning, and online searches by her father's girlfriend lead to her arrest, Pennsylvania police say

Pennsylvania police outlined a horrific set of allegations against a woman who allegedly killed her boyfriend's 1-year-old child by feeding her batteries, a metal screw, and poison.

18-month-old Iris Alfera was brought to a hospital on June 25 after a reported accident at her home in New Castle.

She died four days later.

Police said that they were called by Aleisia Owens to the home after she found the girl was lethargic. The call was made while Bailey Jacoby, the girl's father, was at the store. Owens said that the child had fallen off her bed, but the complaint said that the mattress was only six inches from the floor, which was carpeted.

Doctors told police the girl had numerous injuries, including bilateral retinal hemorrhages, a subdural hematoma, and her body was in organ failure. They said any caretaker would have noticed the changes in the child during the weekend.

Investigators found that in the months before her death the child had ingested a metal screw, three "button" batteries, and over 20 "water beads," a toy that expands when exposed to water and that can be very dangerous when swallowed by children.

Owens had handed over her phone for analysis and investigators used the 20-year-old's online searches to build a case against her.

The searches were made from February to June and included questions about medications and batteries that would be harmful to children. One search included a question about acetone being given to a child. She also allegedly searched how to pass a polygraph test.

Additionally, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the child had died because of acetone poisoning and determined that the cause of death of homicide.

Police arrested Owens and charged her with criminal homicide, aggravated assault of a child less than 6 years of age, endangering the welfare of children, and aggravated assault of a child less than 13 years of age. She was denied bail.

If convicted, Owens could face a life sentence.

“The details of this case are heartbreaking. It is hard to fathom someone taking deliberate steps to harm a completely helpless child, then mislead investigators about what happened,” said Attorney General Michelle Henry in a statement.

Here's more about the horrific case:

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