EMMA ZEHNPFEENNIG - 2 yo - Bowling Green/ Toledo OH

BOWLING GREEN -- A 2-year-old girl whose death in March was ruled a
homicide Wednesday had signs on her body of previous abuse, authorities
said.


Emma Zehnpfennig, who lived in Bowling Green with her elder sister,
mother, and mother's boyfriend, died March 1 after spending seven days
on life support at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Lucas County Deputy
Coroner Dr. Diane Scala-Barnett said.


The young girl with strawberry-blonde hair was taken to Wood County
Hospital on Feb. 22 before being transferred to Toledo, Bowling Green
police Lt. Brad Biller said.


Autopsy results, which were made available Wednesday, showed the
child died from "severe head trauma," Dr. Barnett said, who added that
she found evidence of previous abuse to the toddler.


Dr. Barnett described the fatal injury as "inflicted head trauma."
The doctor added that the girl had bruising on her face and scalp, and both internal and external blunt-force trauma.

It's unclear exactly what caused the girl's injuries, but Dr. Barnett
said "multiple stories" were being told about how the girl was injured
when she was brought in to the hospital. She did not say who told the
stories.


Lieutenant Biller said the girl was taken to the hospital by "an
acquaintance" of the girl's mother, Tabitha Zehnpfennig, 30, who could
not be located for comment.


A neighbor, Melissa Herzig, said Ms. Zehnpfennig had left town.


No arrest warrants have been issued, but Lieutenant Biller said
anyone who was inside the Fairview Avenue apartment on Feb. 22 would be
considered a person of interest.


He said four people were there that night -- the mother, the acquaintance, and two children.


Ms. Zehnpfennig, whose husband, Martin, died in 2010 of a heart attack, has four other children -- none older than 8 years old.


Several people who live in the same Bowling Green Estates apartment
complex said the other children live with Ms. Zehnpfennig's mother.


Ms. Herzig said she saw Emma the night she was taken to the hospital.
She said Ms. Zehnpfennig's boyfriend, Nathan Brenner, took the child to
the hospital.


No one was at the family's apartment, which was empty except for
multiple cardboard boxes packed and put into tall piles in the living
room.


Ms. Herzig described Emma as "generally happy," but said the girl did
not talk at all -- she turned age 2 on Feb. 4, only weeks before being
admitted to the hospital.


Another neighbor, Debbie Weidner, described the mother as someone who
kept to herself, but when the boyfriend moved into the apartment less
than a month before the incident, the mother became more visible in the
area, Ms. Weidner said.


Ms. Herzig, who has known Mr. Brenner for several years, said that
three weeks before Emma was taken to the hospital, he came to stay with
her, after the heat in his residence was shut off.


That's when Ms. Zehnpfennig and Mr. Brenner met, Ms. Herzig said.
Soon after they moved in together and "were talking about getting
married."


Lieutenant Biller said people "need to be aware of what their
limitations are and have trusted people be responsible care for their
children."


Anyone with information is asked to call Bowling Green police at 419-352-2571 or Wood County Crime Stoppers at 419-352-0077.
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/04/05/Coroner-Slain-child-was-abused-previously.html

Death of Bowling Green 2-year-old ruled homicide

BOWLING GREEN, OH (WTOL) - Bowling Green Police Detectives are investigating the death of 2-year-old Emma Zehnpfennig.

Police said it all started with an apartment
in Bowling Green Estates just off Fairview Avenue. That apartment is
where the 2-year-old used to live with her mother and four siblings.

BG Police said the child was unresponsive and
taken by an acquaintance of her mother to the Wood County Hospital
emergency room Feb. 22. The child was then transferred to Mercy St.
Vincent Medical Center where she was put on life support. She never
regained consciousness so her family decided to take her off the life
support.

An autopsy was performed March 2 at the Lucas
County Coroner's Office in cooperation with the Wood County Coroner's
Office. A coroner's report, ruling the death a homicide, was released
Tuesday. Police have not met with the coroner yet, but the report
encouraged police to investigate the death as a homicide.

Officials are unsure of the cause of death.
The autopsy results took longer because of waiting for toxicology
reports. Now coroner's investigators said she died of head trauma and
found evidence that she had been abused in the past.

Police said the homicide angle of the investigation is new, but their involvement is not.

"There were some indications upfront of some
things that weren't quite right. Anytime you've got a 2-year-old that
ends up in a fatality situation, we have to question what caused that
circumstance to exist, and that's why our officers got involved in the
investigation upfront," explained Lt. Bradley Biller of the BGPD.

BG Police said everyone involved with the
2-year-old is under scrutiny, which includes her immediate family
members, who no longer live in the apartment complex.

Neighbors said the community is devastated.

"She was really cute. It was devastating. Heartbreaking," said Angela Drayton.

Drayton said she and her neighbors watched as police went through the child's former home.

People close to the family said they cannot believe this happened to someone so young.

"She was just learning how to talk and we
originally met them about a year ago, so she was just learning how to
walk," said Melissa Herzig.

Neighbors said they are unsure what happened.

"It's been different. It's - nobody really knows what's going on. I mean, it's been a sad thing to deal with," said Herzig.

Police said they will be working closely with the Wood County prosecutor to figure out what happened and who was involved.

Anyone with information related to the case
is urged to call Bowling Green Police at 419-352-2571 or Wood County
CrimeStoppers at 419-352-0077. Callers to CrimeStoppers have the
opportunity to remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to
$1000.
http://www.wtol.com/story/17328907/death-of-bowling-green-2-year-old-ruled-homicide