Indianapolis mother, who was on probation for the d*ath of her infant, arrested again for abandoning her other kids, including another infant

This story touches on two important points. First, we need to do a better job raising our daughters, fellas. Second, we have to be careful about who we choose to have children with.

In Indianapolis, a woman named Tenisha Echols, who was on probation for the death of her baby in 2019, is now facing new charges of neglect. Police say she left her four young children home alone. Tenisha, 27, had previously pleaded guilty to neglecting a dependent, which caused injury, and was sentenced in July 2023 to two years of house arrest and probation, even though prosecutors wanted her to go to prison.

After her sentencing, Tenisha faced more trouble when a judge granted bail to another man accused of killing three people. Later, a different judge set a $4,000 cash bond for Tenisha after a week of mandatory detention. However, because she violated her probation, she was ordered to stay in jail without bond until a hearing in July.

Tenisha’s daughter, De'Reya Hill, died on December 27, 2019. The coroner found that the 6-month-old girl had suffered severe injuries, including blunt force trauma and burns, leading to her death being ruled a homicide. Tenisha was charged with neglect resulting in her daughter’s death.

Tenisha told police she left De'Reya with the girl’s father while she went to take a drug test. While she was out, the father called her to say that the baby had stopped breathing. She suggested he put De'Reya in the bath to wake her. However, Tenisha did not return home until around 7 p.m., ignoring many calls from the father.

The father claimed he hadn’t been around for months and was never charged in connection with De'Reya’s death. Phone records confirmed Tenisha had received multiple calls.

On June 9, 2025, police responded to reports about Tenisha’s children. They found an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 4-month-old left alone in the apartment. The oldest child said their mother had been leaving them home alone every day for about a week. She tried to call her mother but got no answer, so she called her grandmother, who then called 911.

When officers arrived, they found the apartment in terrible condition, with food and trash on the floor and beds without sheets. It looked like no adult had been around for days.

Tenisha arrived home around 10 p.m. after getting a call from the police, claiming she had only been gone for about 20 minutes, but investigators were doubtful. She admitted to leaving her kids alone sometimes because she didn’t want to take them all out of the house at once. When asked if it was safe to leave a 4-month-old with an 8-year-old, she didn’t answer.

Because of this incident, the Department of Child Services (DCS) took the children from the home and placed them with their grandmother. It’s not clear if Tenisha had custody of her children at the time of her arrest, as DCS does not share details about ongoing cases.

Tenisha's house arrest was set to last until next month. The agency responsible for monitoring those on home confinement did not respond to questions about how they track probationers' locations.

Indiana’s child welfare system has been under scrutiny lately, especially after the tragic death of a 5-year-old girl, Zara Arnold, who was placed in the care of her father, despite his history of child abuse. The police union in Indianapolis has called for a thorough investigation into the systems that failed to protect her.