Southwest suburban Chicago parents face charges after 2-year-old dies
HOMER GLEN, Ill. (CBS) -- The parents of a 2-year-old girl who died in southwest suburban Homer Glen were facing felony endangerment of a child charges Wednesday night.
A week ago Wednesday at 11:37 p.m., Will County Sheriff's deputies were called to a house in the 12200 block of Thorn Apple Lane in Homer Glen after 2-year-old Trinity Balen-Weiher was found unresponsive. Deputies were told there was a possible carbon monoxide leak in the house, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies found Trinity's father—Edward Weiher, 49—giving the 2-year-old CPR on an ottoman in the living room. Also in the home was Trinity's mother—Alexa Balen, 27—and her 6-year-old daughter, the sheriff's office said.
Trinity was rushed to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, where she died.
Meanwhile, Homer Township Fire and Nicor determined there was not, in fact, a gas leak in the house, the sheriff's office said. Deputies did find garbage, rotten food, soiled diapers and clothes, medical waste, and a great deal of evidence of drug use, the sheriff's office said.
The evidence of drug use included 9 grams of heroin lying around various places of the house—and likely within reach of Trinity and her 6-year-old sister—and 21 pills of Xanax on the bedroom floor, the sheriff's office said. Deputies also found several spent casings of Narcan near the ottoman where Trinity was found.
Prosecutors on Thursday submitted evidence during a hearing, including photos of the deplorable conditions. Prosecutors say the 6-year-old went to the hospital for drugs in her system.
Weiher and Balen were both taken to the Will County Sheriff's office, while the 6-year-old daughter was placed in protective custody. The parents both made self-incriminating statements and were arrested on warrants, the sheriff's office said.
Weiher and Balen were both charged with felony counts and one misdemeanor count of endangering the life or health of a child, and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Weiher is facing four felony counts.
Weiher was taken to jail in Will County and will appeared for a pretrial detention hearing on Thursday. The judge denied his release.
Balen was taken to the hospital for a medical condition—and will be placed in jail once she's released, the sheriff's office said.
The cause of Trinity's death remained under investigation pending an autopsy and a toxicology report. But the sheriff's office said it is expecting more charges in what they call a "tragic and heinous investigation."
