During a six month period last fall and winter, more than a half dozen health care workers treated or observed problems with tiny Lauren McConniel.
It wasn't until about a week before the five year-old Muncie girl died on March 9, 2010 of severe malnutrition that her injuries were reported to child protective services.
Court records show Lauren's health detiorated once in the care of her father Ryan McConniel and step-mother Britany McConniel.
The Muncie Police Department's lead detective in the case thinks health care workers would innocently believe what the parents were telling them about the, when added together, unusual injuries.
"I think the health care providers had been duped in some of this," said Sgt. Jimmy Gibson.
Sgt. Gibson's investigation uncovered that the first sign of alleged abuse came in November of last year. It was a strange injury (severe eye trauma) followed weeks later with severe weight loss, bizarre behavior, head, bone, and vaginal injuries.
Ryan and Britany McConniel were arrested this month on felony child neglect charges. Both remain behind bars in the Delaware County Jail. Britany McConniel has no bond.
Nothing was reported to Indiana Child Protective Services until March 1, 2010. Shortly after that Lauren was transferred in grave condition to an Indianapolis hospital.
Muncie police say they have no intention of launching a failure to report investigation targeting health care workers including doctors and nurses who treated Lauren in the months before her death.
Amber Huggins the little girl's birth mother lost custody of Lauren late last year, FOX 59 has learned, because she could not afford an attorney to defend her custodial rights during divorce proceedings from her ex-husband Ryan McConniel.
According to court documents the 5 year old was in good health and happy at the time Huggins lost custody.
Wednesday afternoon Huggins described her heart after losing her daughter as, "broken."
Her ex-husband Ryan and his new wife Britney McConniel remain in the Delaware County jail. Britney is being held without bond and bond for Ryan has been set at $30,000 cash.
