ODESSA, Texas — A Texas man and woman are facing capital murder charges in connection with the dehydration death of an 8-year-old girl.
According to KOSA-TV and the San Luis Obispo Tribune, authorities arrested Daniel and Ashley Schwarz, 44 and 34, respectively, weeks after Jaylin Schwarz died, Odessa police said in a news release Monday. Family members described the suspects as the child’s guardians, KOSA reported.
While investigating the death, detectives learned that the couple had punished Jaylin by and making her “jump on the trampoline without stopping for an extended period of time” after forbidding her from eating breakfast, Odessa police said. The suspects also refused to let her drink water “because she was not jumping,” according to the news release.
Police said crews pronounced Jaylin dead on Aug. 29 after responding to a medical emergency at an Odessa home, according to the Tribune.
Police added that the trampoline’s temperature had reached 110 degrees.
An autopsy later determined that Jaylin died of dehydration and called the incident a homicide, police said.