Teen linked to toddler’s death won’t face charges, DA says

A 17-year-old girl police say was impregnated by her stepfather and linked to the death of her 3-year-old sister will no longer face a child abuse charge, the Clark County district attorney’s office has announced.

The teen was released from the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on Monday, the DA said, and placed with Child Protective Services. Her identity was not made public.

“This child is a victim in this case and can best receive appropriate and necessary services through the dependency court system and Family Services,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a news release.

Her mother and stepfather, who have five other children between them, remained jailed Monday. Jondrew Lachaux, 39, and Kellie Phillips, 38, each face multiple counts of child abuse with substantial bodily harm or death. Lachaux also faces one count of destroying or concealing evidence.

Police said Lachaux sexually assaulted his 17-year-old stepdaughter. The mother does not appear to have been aware.

But both parents deserted the 17 year old and her 3-year-old sister. The teen gave birth alone at their home in the 6600 block of Wood Thrush Place, near the north 215 Beltway between the exits for Decatur Boulevard and Aliante Parkway. The toddler, who had breathing problems, eventually died.

Police started a child abuse investigation April 1 after the teen mom’s malnourished infant was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition.

Since then, the infant has healed and been released from the hospital, North Las Vegas police spokesman Aaron Patty said Monday. She also is with Child Protective Services.

Denise Tanata Ashby, executive director for the Children’s Advocacy Alliance in Las Vegas, said Wolfson made the right call.

“It’s very apparent that she’s been a victim herself for quite some time,” Ashby said. “We are definitely very hopeful that she will receive services and will be treated as a victim.”

But the Clark County Department of Family Services, which is working with the law enforcement investigation, should also check to see that the family’s other five children were attending school and whether school personnel ever thought of reporting concerns to a child welfare agency. The other five children, ranging in age from 1 to 9, police said, are with Child Protective Services.

A child fatality disclosure report on the 3 year old said there was no prior Child Protective Services’ history for the child or her family. A near-fatality disclosure for the 4 month old indicated the same.

Staff at McCarran International Airport called 911 April 1 when the infant appeared to be having medical problems, police said. The teen and her baby had hung out there and on the Strip, police said, after Lachaux had put them on the streets.

He feared his wife would find out about the baby, investigators said.

The baby went to the hospital, and police started their investigation. It led them to the North Las Vegas home where they found the body of the 3 year old, who likely died in early March.

She was hidden in a box in the backseat of a parked Mercedes Benz, police said. Lachaux told the teen over the phone to stuff her sister in the box. He returned March 28, police said, and helped her put the box in the car.

Investigators learned the teen and toddler’s parents left them around August for nearly eight months while they traveled to Oakland, Calif., with the couple’s five other children, according to an arrest report.

Review-Journal writer Cassandra Taloma contributed to this report. Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find him on Twitter: @kudialisrj. Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @yeseniaamaro.