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63 Chihuahuas, Teen Son Found In Feces-Filled PA Home, Couple Charged: Police
An Adams County couple is facing child endangerment and animal cruelty charges after authorities found their home covered in feces and urine with 63 Chihuahuas inside, Pennsylvania State Police announced.
Troopers responded to Ray Derita, 48, and Stephanie Derita’s, 47, home on Old Harrisburg Road in Straban Township on Friday, Feb. 7, for a domestic dispute. While there was no physical altercation, police said they immediately became concerned about the squalid conditions inside the home.
“The floor was covered in feces and urine, making it impossible to step anywhere without stepping in f…
PA Parents Sold NJ Heroin From Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA
Two parents in Stroud Township are accused of selling heroin and fentanyl from their home while their young children lived in dangerous, squalid conditions, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7.
Jessica Walters, 35, and Robert Nochella, 35, were arrested after Monroe County detectives and Children and Youth Services discovered drug paraphernalia, scales, and packaging materials scattered throughout their home on Thursday, Feb. 6, officials said. Walters was reportedly withdrawing from fentanyl during the investigation, according to the criminal complaints.
The home, where Walters and Noc…
Premature Newborn Twins Starved By Pennsylvania Parents: DA
A Croydon couple is accused of starving their premature newborn twins to the point of severe malnutrition, Bucks County authorities announced on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Courtney Soyka, 32, and Marcus Maddela, 45, of Coventry Avenue in Bristol Township, have been charged with two counts each of felony child endangerment and conspiracy, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators said the twins were born prematurely at 32 weeks on Oct. 7, 2024, and remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they were healthy enough to be released. But the parents allegedly…
PA Mom Breastfed Toddler While Using Meth, Selling Drugs From Home: DA
A Lancaster Township mother admitted to breastfeeding her toddler while using methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities announced on Friday, Jan. 31.
Kristina Kadian, 32, and Joseph Eberle, 45, are accused of selling meth from their home while the child was present, according to the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. Both were charged with felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felony conspiracy, and felony endangering the welfare of children.
Detectives launched an investigation into Kadian and Eberle in December 2024, using undercover and confidential informants to p…
MD Man With 3 Toddlers Caught With Meth On US Rt 1 In PA: State Police
A Maryland man driving under the influence with drugs and children in his car has been arrested in Chester County, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Wesley Simon, 25, of Whiteford, Maryland, was stopped by state troopers in a 2009 Toyota Yaris on US Route 1, south of State Route 841, in London Grove Township around 4:26 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, police said.
Simon was observed speeding and swerving within his lane, prompting the traffic stop, according to a release from the Avondale barracks. Upon exiting the vehicle for field sobriety tests, Simon attempted to conceal …
PA Mom Who Used Fentanyl-Laced Apple Juice In Murder-Suicide Plot Pleads Guilty But Ill
A Pennsylvania mother who claimed "God told her" to kill herself and her 8-year-old daughter with fentanyl-laced apple juice has pleaded guilty but mentally ill, authorities announced on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Skye Naggy, 32, admitted to attempted homicide, aiding suicide, kidnapping, and child endangerment before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani, nearly three years after her arrest in November 2022.
Naggy's plan unraveled after police discovered her and the child in a wooded area near Loyalhanna Lake. Investigators, who tracked Naggy's phone, also uncovered a…
PA Mom Remembers Infant Daughter In Heartbreaking Obituary
The mother of an infant who died in a tragic co-sleeping incident on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Middletown shared a moving tribute to her daughter in the weeks before her arrest announced by police on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Jenna Beachley, 25, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child following the death of her two-month-old daughter, Azriel Marie Renee Beachley.
Azriel’s obituary, posted by Matinchek Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., describes the infant as her mother’s source of unconditional love and healing.
“Azriel Marie Renee Beach…
PA Mom Charged With 4th DUI, This Time With Child On Halloween: Police
A Forks Township mom with three prior DUI convictions is accused of driving drunk for a fourth time on Halloween, with her 5-year-old son unrestrained in the front seat, police announced on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Jessica Blair Turtzo, 42, was stopped on Sullivan Trail and Zucksville Road on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at 8:16 p.m., during a DUI enforcement detail, Forks Township police said.
The officer reported smelling alcohol and burnt marijuana coming from the car, and Turtzo allegedly admitted to drinking shortly before driving. Her son was found in the front seat without a booster or proper…
PA Man Accused Of Shaking Infant Now Charged With Murder
The tragic case involving Eriezer Eddie Melendez Jr., 37, of Harrisburg, has escalated as the 3-month-old baby he was accused of shaking has died from her injuries, a source close to the family told Daily Voice.
The infant was removed from life support on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., and passed away at 10:35 p.m., according to family sources. As a result, Melendez now faces a Felony 1 Murder charge in addition to five other charges:
Felony 1: Aggravated assault – victim less than 13 years old and defendant 18 or older.
Felony 2: Aggravated assault – victim less than 6 years old a…
Baby Nearly Killed When PA Man Shakes Her: Affidavit
A Harrisburg man is accused of shaking a 3-month-old baby, causing life-threatening injuries, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
Troopers responded to a call about a baby in cardiac arrest at a home on Canvasback Drive in Oliver Township on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8:31 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police said in the affidavit of probable cause.
The baby, identified as "CR," was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where doctors found severe injuries, including extensive subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, and bruising considered a sentinel injury, according to med…
PA Mom Charged For Giving Kids Guns, Teen Son Charged In Cousin's Murder
A Lancaster County mother is accused of giving her teenage sons access to guns used in a September shootout, police announced on Friday, Nov. 15. One of those sons has also been charged in his cousin's murder.
Brandi Whisman, 42, of New Providence, was arraigned Tuesday, Nov. 14, on charges of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors. Investigators said she gave her sons permission to take the guns whenever they wanted, providing a key and telling them where the firearms were located.
Her sons, Joshua Whisman, 16, and Alexander Whisman, 18, are accused of firing …
Cocaine, Meth Sold Out Of PA Italian Restaurant To Pay Child Support: Affidavit
A married Adams County couple sold cocaine and methamphetamine out the back of their family’s Italian restaurant, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Cristina Fazzolari, 38, the daughter, of popular Gettysburg restaurant, Mamma Ventura’s founders, was seen by police selling cocaine in Race Horse Alley behind the business in April, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Fazzolari’s husband John Anderson, 46, was spotted overseeing the sale, the police explained in the affidavit.
The investigation began when Mamma Ventura employees tippe…
5-Month-Old Infant Takes Cocaine, Fentanyl Parents Got In PA Prison, Police Say
A 5-month-old baby girl was found with cocaine and fentanyl in her system that police believe her parents got in the Cumberland County Prison, according to multiple releases on Friday, Sept. 13.
David James Foor, 26, and Brandi Renee Keifer, 25, both of Carlisle were arrested on the charge of child endangerment on Monday, Sept. 9, by Middlesex Township Police.
The following day "it was discovered Foor [and Keifer] had brought in and possessed controlled substances while incarcerated at the Cumberland County Prison," the police wrote in two additional releases.
Additional details about…
Death Penalty Sought For Woman Accused Of Killing Pittsburgh Friend's Baby, Abusing Twin
The death penalty is being sought against a PhD student from New Jersey who is accused of killing an infant boy and abusing his twin brother in Pennsylvania, according to court records obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, Sept. 6.
Nicole Virzi, 30, a PhD student who graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment, and more in connection with the incidents last June.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in Virzi's case on Thursday,…
by
Cecilia Levine
'How Guilty, Ashamed I Am,' Says Bucks County Dad Sentenced For Killing 4-Month-Old Son
A Bristol Borough man was sentenced to up to three decades in Pennsylvania State Prison for killing his 4-month-old son, authorities said.
Tyler Sullivan, 31, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in state prison on Tuesday, Aug. 27 on murder and child endangerment charges by Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman.
Before being sentenced, Sullivan gave a lengthy, tearful statement, admitting “how guilty and ashamed I am," according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
The baby’s mother and the baby’s aunt both submitted victim impact statements that were read during Tuesday’s hearing…
PA Parents Sentenced: 'Treated Animals Better' Than 7 Children, Judge Says
A father and mother who forced their seven children to live in filthy conditions in a rundown trailer in Bucks County were sentenced to up to 16 years in Pennsylvania State Prison on child neglect charges, authorities said.
Shane Robertson, 48, and Crystal Robertson, 38, of West Rockhill Township, appeared Tuesday, Aug. 20 before Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, who called them “two of the worst parents I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“It is appalling that you would live in these conditions with your seven children,” Liller said. “You treated your animals better than you treated you…
