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State police at Shickshinny arrested two individuals Monday on manslaughter charges in relation to the death of their 19-month-old daughter.
James Kasisky Jr., 26, and Valentina Varela-Luis, 25, were denied bail by Magistrate Donald L. Whittaker and taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility after the two were charged in the death of their daughter Phoenix, who was found dead inside a Newport Township home in December of last year.
A coroner’s report cited in criminal complaints filed against the two suspects alleges that the victim died of “dehydration and metabolic imbalance due to neglect.”
The compaint alleges that the suspects left the child alone without any sources of hydration or nutrition in a “high heat, low humidity environment” for 26 hours before finding her deceased.
The two suspects were both charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person, according to the arrest paperwork filed on Monday.
According to the criminal complaints:
Investigators were called to 20 Third St. in Newport Township on Dec. 23, 2022 at approximately 8:30 p.m. for a report of a deceased infant female.
The infant’s mother, identified in the complaint as Varela-Luis, was the one who called 911 initially, according to the complaint.
Police and paramedics from Newport Township were first to arrive, and advised detectives that the infant female was deceased.
According to investigators, the victim’s eyes were found to be sunken in with black spots in them, and that her fingertips had already lost color.
Paramedics reported that the infant’s hands showed signs of lividity and that her eyes were extremely dehydrated.
Both Varela-Luis and Kasisky Jr. were present at the home when investigators arrived, as were the couple’s 3-year-old son and several members of their families.
Varela-Luis and Kasisky Jr. were asked to come to PSP Wilkes-Barre for interviews, to which they agreed and were transported to the barracks.
During the interview, investigators learned that Varela-Luis had set the child down to rest at around 5 p.m., went to bed at midnight and then left for work at 9 a.m. the following morning.
According to investigators, Varela-Luis did not check in on the child at any point from when she put her to bed at 5 p.m. on Dec. 22 to when she left for work at 9 a.m. the following morning, a period of 16 hours.
Investigators also allege that they learned through the interview that Kasisky Jr. had arrived home from work at 5 a.m. the morning of Dec. 23, and didn’t check on the victim at any point from then until he found her dead, nearly 13 hours later.
In total, according to the complaint, the victim was left alone in her room for “26 hours in a high heat, low humidity environment with no known hydration or nutrition or check on her welfare.”
During the interview with Kasisky Jr., he reportedly told investigators that he had fed the victim and the couple’s other child Rice Krispy treats and Sunny D orange juice the morning of Dec. 23 before going to Lowe’s.
He also told investigators that the children had pizza and cookies for lunch that day, as well.
On Dec. 26, an autopsy was performed on the victim by Dr. Gary Ross. Ross’s report contradicted Kasisky Jr.’s claims, as the pathologist found the victim’s stomach to be empty except for a small amount of fluid. He told investigators that there was no evidence of food in the victim’s stomach.
Upon being interviewed for a second time and shown Dr. Ross’s findings, Kasisky Jr. admitted to investigators that his recollection of events was “something he made up in his own mind,” according to the criminal complaint.
He then told investigators that the last time he had seen his daughter alive was the morning of Dec. 22, the day before the victim was found deceased.
Kasisky Jr. and Varela-Luis were arraigned on Monday afternoon in front of Magistrate Whittaker, who denied them both bail.
A preliminary hearing for both suspects is scheduled for April 5.