ODESSA, Texas (KMID) – A Texas couple has been charged in connection with the August death of a child who was denied water and forced to jump on a trampoline in high heat, according to Odessa police.
Officials say Daniel and Ashley Schwarz, both 34, have both been charged with capital murder in the investigation.
The investigation began back on August 29, when officers responding to a medical call in north Odessa neighborhood found an 8-year-old unresponsive. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
Daniel and Ashley Schwarz were the child’s non-biological parents, according to the Odessa American.
While investigating, officers learned the child had been punished and was not allowed to eat breakfast and was forced to jump on a trampoline without stopping for ‘an extended period of time,’ the release reads.
Additionally, police say the girl was not allowed to drink water if she stopped jumping.
An autopsy report later revealed the cause of the child’s death to be dehydration.
Officers obtained a search warrant and determined that the temperature of the trampoline was about 110 degrees and the ground was about 150 degrees, police say.