Man arrested in death of 18-month-old girl in Melbourne

2021-12-27 16:46:21 By : Ms. Jane Chan

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A Palm Bay man was charged Thursday with child manslaughter in connection with the July death of a toddler, less than four weeks after the child's mother was arrested on the same charge.

Mark Shriver, 33, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect with great bodily harm in the death of Charlotte Rockey, an 18-month-old girl he was living with. Charlotte was discovered unresponsive in their trailer July 28 at Lucky Clover RV and Mobile Home Park in Melbourne near Indian Harbour Beach, an arrest affidavit said.

Charlotte's mother, Melissa Lehman, 25, was arrested Nov. 23 and faces the same charges.

Melbourne Police records show Lehman, Charlotte, Shriver and Lehman's boyfriend were living in a camper, with Lehman and her boyfriend sharing a bed and Shriver and Charlotte sharing a different bed.

Shriver told police Charlotte "tossed and turned" after Melissa brought her to bed at 11:30 p.m. July 27, but then she fell asleep, the affidavit said. He said he didn't feel her moving throughout the night and didn't notice any signs that she was struggling to breathe. However, when he woke to his alarm at 5 a.m. July 28, he discovered Charlotte lying on her stomach, not breathing and cold to the touch.

Lehman put Charlotte on the kitchen floor at the instruction of a 911 operator, and Shriver gave a "series of rescue breaths" until police arrived, the affidavit said. She was pronounced dead at 5:15 a.m. Melbourne police officers noted in the affidavit that they did not observe any visible signs of trauma on the toddler's body at the scene to suggest she had been involved in a violent physical confrontation.

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Drugs and drug paraphernalia were located throughout the camper, all within reach of Charlotte, the affidavit said. Beside the bed Lehman and her boyfriend shared, police found an unlabeled prescription bottle, a glass smoking pipe and Lehman's purse, which contained an unsecured, loaded .45-caliber pistol.

On a shelf near the bed, they found hypodermic needles, cotton filters, an unidentified powder residue and other paraphernalia that was "collectively indicative of intravenous drug use." Opened packages of cannabidiol gummies were in a laundry hamper beside the bed, and officers found an empty package of one of the products by the garbage can.

Next to Charlotte and Shriver's bed, they found a plastic bin filled with cigarette rolling papers and two jars containing what appeared to be marijuana residue and a glass smoking pipe containing what also appeared to be marijuana residue, the affidavit said.

Officers went on to say in the affidavit that the bed Charlotte shared was "extremely filthy" and that the inside of the camper was filled with garbage, food wrappers and half-eaten food with bugs crawling on it, clothing and a "labyrinth of extension cords and electrical wires that were strewn across the floor."

Charlotte's death was determined to be from cocaine toxicity with probable mechanical asphyxia, the Brevard County medical examiner said in an Oct. 18 autopsy report. Significant factors in the girl's death included the presence of cannabinoids and a low body weight, the report said, but the exact manner of her death has not been determined.

Lehman and Shriver told police Charlotte seemed happy and healthy the day before her death, and they could not think of a reason she would have died, affidavits show.

During an interview the morning of July 28 with police, Shriver said he was a recovering heroin addict and had been given Suboxone, which he used as an alternative to heroin, the affidavit said. He injected the drug intravenously because it mimicked the mechanics of shooting up heroin.

Shriver told police the last time he "shot up" Suboxone was around 8 p.m. July 27, adding that while he was tired from a landscaping job, he could function normally on the drug and was not more drowsy than normal. He told police that no one gave Charlotte any drugs or medication, saying he took precautions to keep drugs and paraphernalia out of her reach.

During the investigation following Charlotte's death, the Department of Children and Family Services performed a drug test on Lehman and her boyfriend, the affidavit said. Shriver refused to cooperate and was not tested. It was not immediately known when the testing on Lehman and her boyfriend was performed.

The tests for both Lehman and her boyfriend found benzodiazepines — anti-anxiety medications — and marijuana, but no cocaine, the affidavit said. 

Lehman told police Oct. 25 that she was surprised Charlotte had cocaine in her system as she and her boyfriend didn't use it, the affidavit said. She told police Shriver used it in the past but didn't know if he was using while he was living in her home, though she added that she thought Shriver must have been the source of the drug.

Lehman also told police Shriver had "diluted cotton balls scattered around the bedroom" that he used to filter drugs through a hypodermic syringe, and Charlotte could have come into contact with one of them, or ingested one. When officers shared their concerns about the hazardous living conditions and sleeping arrangements, Lehman "conceded that their negligence likely contributed to Charlotte's death," and said if she and Shriver had taken necessary precautions, Charlotte would still be alive.

Both Lehman and Shriver are being held at the Brevard County Jail without bail. Lehman's first court date is scheduled for Dec. 21. Shriver's first appearance is scheduled for Jan. 20.

Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker

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