Two charged in death of missing Ind. toddler

CROWN POINT, Ind. — A babysitter and her boyfriend were charged Friday with killing a toddler whose body was encased in concrete and dumped in a swampy area in northwest Indiana.

The body, found Thursday in rural LaPorte County, was identified as 2-year-old Jada Justice. The toddler was reported missing on June 16 by her cousin, 18-year-old Engelica Castillo, who had been taking care of the child since June 8.

Castillo and 24-year-old Tim Tkachik, both of Hobart, were charged with murder, neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing. Each faces a sentence of 45 to 65 years if convicted of murder.

They were being held without bond Friday in the Lake County Jail.

Castillo's attorney, T. Edward Page of Merrillville, did not return a phone message seeking comment Friday. Tkachik did not yet have a lawyer.

According to court documents, an autopsy showed Jada had numerous skull fractures.

Castillo had claimed that Jada disappeared from a car while the teenager went into a convenience store in Gary. Police and the FBI took part in the 10-day search, and the FBI opened a hot line that received more than 100 tips.

The child's remains were found Thursday encased in concrete in a swampy area near rural Westville, according to a probable cause affidavit.

"This tragic ending is not the outcome we were all hoping for," said Lake County prosecutor Bernard Carter.

According to the affidavit, Castillo told police that she routinely took care of the toddler for days and was scheduled to return the girl to her parents on June 20.

The affidavit says Tkachik told police that Castillo had beaten the child severely on the head on June 13 after they had both used heroin, and they noticed Jada wasn't breathing when they drove to buy more heroin that evening.

"I told you to stop. I told you enough is enough," Tkachik said he told Castillo, according to the affidavit. The pair allegedly repeatedly tried CPR to revive the child.

According to the affidavit, the pair took Jada home and, thinking she was still breathing, took her into the house. Once they realized she was dead, the document says, they decided to get rid of the body.

Tkachik allegedly put the body in garbage bags the next day and took it to a wooded area in LaPorte County, where he tried unsuccessfully to burn it, causing an explosion that burned his face and required hospital treatment. Tkachik blamed the burns on a propane grill, police said.

Castillo and Tkachik then took the body home again, the affidavit said, and on June 15 entombed the remains in a tub full of concrete. After the concrete dried, the pair took it to a rural area near Westville and sank it in a swamp, according to the document.

On Thursday, Tkachik led police to the area where the body was hidden and FBI agents recovered the remains that were later identified as Jada's, the affidavit said.

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