LICKING COUNTY — An Ohio father has been convicted and sentenced for the death of his infant daughter.
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A Licking County jury found Chance Topp guilty on several charges, including murder, strangulation, reckless homicide, and felonious assault, according to our news partners at WBNS in Columbus.
He was found not guilty on aggravated homicide and one count of murder.
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The charges stemmed from the 2023 death of his daughter, Riley Jo.
The Utica Police Department was called to a home on Crestview Drive in October 2023 on reports of an unresponsive infant.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. There, medical personnel saw suspicious injuries, WBNS reported.
Court documents stated that Topp told detectives that he was asleep when he heard his daughter gasping for air. He then got her out of her crib to administer CPR.
Instead of calling 911, court records state Topp ran out of the room to tell others about the baby’s condition.
The child’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia, but her manner of death was not reported. An autopsy report stated that she had a red mark on her neck and bruising on her jawline.
As WBNS reported, the child also tested positive for Delta-8 THC.
Todd told detectives he was smoking Delta-8 THC while in the room with his daughter to calm himself down.
Over the course of a 20-month investigation, detectives determined Topp was trying to sleep, got frustrated with the crying child, and forcefully held a pacifier in her mouth, causing her to suffocate, WBNS reported.
A Licking County judge sentenced Topp to 15 years to life in prison.
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