Following claims that two children had been killed and their bodies had been burned in a fire pit, Indiana police say they found bone pieces in a backyard.
The local sheriff’s office released a statement on September 20 after receiving a tip regarding a person who, according to the informant, had admitted to killing two children and setting their bodies ablaze in a Wheatfield, Indiana, home’s backyard fire pit.
The person was the father of the two children, according to Chief Deputy Jason Wallace of the sheriff’s office, who spoke with PEOPLE. In relation to the case, he has not been taken into custody.
The father allegedly confessed to friends that he killed two of his “undocumented” children, according to a statement released by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, October 1.
Wallace made clear that the children’s “undocumented” status is a result of their lack of records in the state system; it has nothing to do with immigration.
Wallace stated that the estimated ages of the purportedly dead children range from 0 to 6 years old, but he was unable to provide additional verification.
Wallace said that following the information, police initiated an instant investigation. They met the parents of the children at a hotel in neighboring Newton County, where they questioned the pair.
“They were cooperative but had nothing to share on the topic, they just denied it,” he claims.
Their cell phones were taken into custody by authorities as evidence, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office, “and additional information was uncovered.”
Police approached the parents again after gathering further evidence, and they maintained their denials of any knowledge of the occurrence, according to the statement. Another purportedly undocumented youngster under the couple’s custody was taken away by the police.
Authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies searched a Wheatfield home on Monday, September 30, where Wallace claims the couple had previously resided. According to the statement, officers were led by cadaver dogs to three different areas on the property where they found pieces of bone.
Wallace claims that the pair is “moving around” and is not now residing in the house.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Jasper County Coroner’s Office, the Indiana State Police, the Wheatfield Police Department, and the sheriff’s office all searched the property.
Forensic examination of the bones is still underway to ascertain whether they belonged to a baby or an animal.