The tragic story of two-year-old Zaelynn serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the consequences of neglect. Found lifeless in a closet with a space heater turned up too high, she suffered a painful and preventable death due to hyperthermia. When police arrived at the Berne, Indiana apartment in November 2024,
they discovered shocking conditions—Zaelynn’s small body lay on a soiled mattress, her diaper unchanged, and the closet’s temperature reaching a staggering 109.4 degrees. Her parents, Sintia Perez and Jace Hirschy, failed to check on her for nearly 20 hours, a fatal lapse that ended an innocent life far too soon. Meanwhile, the couple’s other two children lived in equally horrific conditions, leading to their removal by child services.