A Whitehall mother is facing second-degree felony charges of child endangerment following the death of her 9-month-old daughter and the discovered injuries of her 23-month-old toddler. Charity Dreyer, 21, was ordered held in the Franklin County jail on a $50,000 bond after her arrest, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 3.
The case unfolded when Whitehall police responded to a call before 8:40 p.m. on Monday, finding an unresponsive infant. Police's immediate efforts to revive the girl were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead later at Nationwide Children's Hospital, WBNS reported. The elder sibling was found with signs of abuse, including injuries consistent with a broken arm and possible head and neck injuries.
As the community grapples with the disturbing news, Whitehall Police Assistant Chief Dan Kelso told WBNS, "Immediately their first thought was to save the child's life, which they tried." The exact cause of the infant's death is still under investigation, and officials await the Franklin County Coroner's Office's ruling before potentially filing additional charges.
This tragedy, if ultimately ruled a homicide, would mark the first for the city of Whitehall this year. Distressed neighbors expressed their shock and sorrow, with one saying, "In my mind, I still see that baby, and I'm like, what if that was my child, like it's heartbreaking. I could not imagine that I couldn't do that to my baby," according to neighborhood interviews by ABC6. Dreyer and the children were reportedly staying with someone at the address where officers were called, and Dreyer has a criminal record that includes theft and attempted receiving stolen property dating back to 2022.
