An Ohio man has been charged with aggravated murder in the suffocation death of his four-month-old daughter, prosecutors have said. Chance Terrence Topp, 28, was indicted by a grand jury on 13 counts, including murder, strangulation, domestic violence, and reckless homicide.
Deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive infant at a home in Utica on 13 October 2023. The child was taken to hospital, where staff noted suspicious injuries before she was pronounced dead. Topp had been watching his daughter while her mother was at work.
According to court documents, Topp initially told investigators he had been asleep, heard the baby gasping, and performed CPR without calling 999. Relatives told detectives they heard the infant screaming and confronted Topp, shouting, 'What did you do?' Topp allegedly rejected their help.
An autopsy ruled the death a homicide caused by asphyxia, noting red marks on the child's neck and bruising along her jawline. Toxicology reports revealed the infant tested positive for delta-8 THC; Topp later admitted to smoking the substance in the child's room.
Prosecutors said Topp, frustrated by the child's crying, used excessive force to hold a pacifier in her mouth, suffocating her. Assistant Prosecutor Tyler McCoy stated that Topp initially misled detectives but confessed after his arrest. Topp is being held on a $200,000 bond, with trial scheduled for 27 July.
