HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas — An East Texas couple was recently indicted on child endangerment charges after their 18-month-old was found dead and investigators reported children living in "horrible" conditions in a Murchison home in December.
Erin Michelle Dennis, 23, and Daniel David Dennis, 25, have been charged with abandoning and endangering a child in connection with injuries to a 4-year-old and 2-year-old, who were both placed in Child Protective Services custody.
Both were indicted on March 10 and have arraignment hearing set for April 6 in the 392nd District Court.
They were arrested on Dec. 15. Erin Dennis remains in the Henderson County Jail on bonds totaling $750,000, while Daniel Dennis is jailed on bonds totaling $1 million, according to court records.
At the time of the arrests, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said he was waiting for autopsy results and expected additional charges for the death of the youngest child.
According to the sheriff's office, investigators saw "horrible with human feces on the wall and dirty diapers on the floor." The temperature in the kids' room was high and reached 103 degrees, Hillhouse said.
One of the baby cribs was made into a “cage,” according to the parents, and bedroom doors were locked from the outside to stop the children from escaping, the sheriff's office said.
"The mother said she awoke Tuesday morning to play video games," Hillhouse said. "She then checked on the three children and found the 18-month-old dead."
In December, the 18-month-old's body was sent to Dallas for autopsy.
