18-Month-Old Girl Dies After Her Father’s Girlfriend Fed Her Acetone, Batteries And Screws

20-year-old Aleisia Owens was apprehended on Thursday after being accused of fatally poisoning her boyfriend’s 18-month-old daughter. She did so by feeding the child batteries, screws, and nail polish remover. Authorities say that she had researched products to see how harmful they were before the child died.

An autopsy showed that Iris Rita Alfera died of fatal levels of acetone in her blood.

Owens had been residing with Iris’s father, Bailey Jacoby, when he had exited the resident to go to a store on June 25, 2023. He had then gotten a call from Owens that something had happened to his daughter whom he had visitation rights for.

Jacoby quickly went to his home in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and discovered the girl unresponsive and called authorities.

After the child was transported and then airlifted to a medical facility, she died of organ failure four days later.

Owens told police that Iris had struck her head after she “cramped up” and fell off her bed. But, the autopsy revealed that iris had consumed multiple “water beads,” button-shaped batteries, and a metal screw months before she passed away.

When a search of her phone was conducted, it was found that Owens had looked up household items that could be fatal if ingested.

Jacoby was not apprehended in relation to his daughter’s death.

Owens has been charged with homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, and other charges.

She is being held in the Lawrence County Jail without bond.