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Parents Arrested In Emaciated Infant's Death

POSTED: 10:07 am MST April 19, 2007
UPDATED: 5:43 am MST April 20, 2007

A Phoenix couple was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of their child.

Police and firefighters arrived at an apartment at 26th Avenue and Ocotillo Road around 8:40 a.m. in response to reports of an unresponsive child.

When they arrived, they found 4-month-old Daniel Bechtel dead.

Phoenix police Sgt. Joel Tranter said there were extreme signs of malnutrition and neglect, and that Daniel weighed just four pounds at the time of his death.

A court document released on Thursday said a preliminary autopsy conducted on the infant found he had no food or formula in his stomach, and that the cause of death was consistent with neglect.

Tranter said the boy looked like a Holocaust survivor, gaunt and with bones showing through his skin.

Officers also said the apartment was extremely filthy and unfit for human habitation, with ants and roaches visible.

Two other children, both under the age of 5, were removed from the home and turned over to Child Protective Services.

Police said they developed probable cause to arrest the parents, 22-year-old Katherine Hatten and 29-year-old Thaddeus Bechtel. The two were arrested late Wednesday night.

According to officers, Bechtel told investigators he thought the infant looked too thin, but said Hatten told him was just family genetics.

Hatten told detectives she fed the infant every two hours, but had trouble keeping his weight on, police said.

Hatten was charged with one count of first-degree murder, while Bechtel faces one count of child abuse.

Tranter said Bechtel wasn't charged with murder because he's a truck driver and is only home once a week.

Hatten and Bechtel are each being held on $207,000 bond. If either or both bond, each will be placed on supervised release with an electronic monitoring system.

Their next court date is Friday, April 27 at a regional Maricopa County Superior Court center in Glendale. The Maricopa County Public Defender's Office said it had not yet assigned attorneys to the case.

Tranter said the 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl removed from the apartment were filthy, minimally cared for, and had to scavenge for food in the home.

The children were being physically evaluated and tested for developmental disabilities.

Tranter said neither parent showed remorse or sadness. He said Bechtel refused to be interviewed by police, and that Hatten showed signs of mental illness.

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