Missing Mercedes Lain Found Dead In Starke County, Ind.; Toddler's Babysitter, Parents Charged

An 11-month-old Indiana girl who went missing last week was found dead in a wooded area Wednesday.

The remains of Mercedes Lain were found Wednesday night in Starke County. Marshall County Prosecutor Nelson Chipman Jr. said the girl's babysitter, identified as 37-year-old Justin Miller, was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. His initial hearing is expected Friday. Lain's parents also face one count each of neglect of a dependent for allegedly leaving their child with Miller​, reported WLWT5.

It is not clear how the toddler died.

"It's a tragedy," Chipman said, adding that officers were hoping they would be able to find the baby alive.

"Almost all of us, and I can see our parents and the common thread that people have with 11-month-old, everybody wanted to find Mercedes alive and healthy. So there's, in the same vein, these guys make a living from seeing some of this, and we wanted it to be turned out differently. It didn't," Chipman was quoted by ABC7.

The prosecutor added that the girl's father, Kenny Lain, left the child with Miller on Friday at a Plymouth motel. Miller had agreed to babysit for the weekend so he and the toddler's mother, Tiffany Coburn, can have a "few days break from their child."

When Miller did not bring back Mercedes on Sunday, the parents reported her missing.

Miller initially told police he dropped the child off at a neighbor's place Sunday. But he later changed the story. He claimed he found the baby dead when he woke up Saturday morning. He then moved her body to the wooded area in adjacent Starke County, said a probable cause affidavit.

Miller is a relative of the child, the court document showed. He reportedly told police that he had used synthetic marijuana several times while Mercedes was in his care.

Officers are waiting for the autopsy report. However, they don't believe the parents were directly involved in her death.