Relatives said they heard the baby screaming before police found her unresponsive.
UTICA, Ohio — Family members’ accounts of a baby screaming inside a Crestview Drive home are now part of an aggravated murder case against the infant’s father, who prosecutors say suffocated her with a pacifier.
The death of 4-month-old R.T. has moved from a medical emergency to a homicide prosecution built on family statements, medical evidence and alleged admissions by Chance Terrence Topp, 29. He has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges in Licking County, including aggravated murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, strangulation, domestic violence and falsification. The case matters now because a July 27 trial date has been set, placing a nearly two-year investigation before a jury.
Relatives told detectives the sound came before the ambulance, before the hospital and before the indictment. The baby’s grandmother said she heard the child “loudly screaming in an unusual way” on Oct. 13, 2023, hours before the infant was pronounced dead. She called it “the most awful cry she ever heard.” Other family members said they were visibly upset and yelled, “What did you do?” at Topp after hearing the baby and entering the tense scene. Prosecutors say relatives also reported that Topp refused offers to help with the baby and kept them from seeing her at a critical moment.
Police and deputies were called to the Utica home around 7:32 p.m. after a report that the infant was unresponsive. First responders found the baby motionless and took her to Licking Memorial Hospital. Staff there saw bruising and marks they considered suspicious. Topp told investigators at first that he had put the baby in her crib and fallen asleep. He said he woke when he heard the infant gasping, removed her from the crib and tried CPR. Investigators noted that Topp did not call 911 himself, a detail prosecutors later used while challenging his first version of events.
The family’s view of Topp’s habits also became part of the case file. Court records describe relatives saying he was a “night owl” who stayed up late playing video games, drinking alcohol and using drugs. They said he was often inattentive to the infant. Prosecutors have not said those claims alone caused the child’s death, but they placed them in a timeline that shows Topp caring for the baby while her mother was at work. Investigators allege that by the time the child became fussy and cried, Topp wanted to sleep and became frustrated with her.
The most serious allegation centers on a pacifier, an object usually tied to soothing a baby. Prosecutors say Topp used excessive force to hold it over the infant’s mouth and nose. In court filings, investigators said the pressure was strong enough to fully block the baby’s airway. Topp later admitted during questioning that he held the pacifier “too hard and too long,” according to prosecutors, and acknowledged causing bruising on the baby’s jawline. Authorities say he had smoked delta-8 THC in the room with the child to calm himself down, and toxicology tests found the infant was positive for 11-carboxy-delta-8 THC.
Medical findings gave investigators a second track of evidence beyond the accounts from inside the home. Emergency workers and hospital staff saw bruising along the jawline and a horizontal mark on the neck. A paramedic said the neck mark resembled signs he had seen in strangulation training. The autopsy found asphyxia as the cause of death. Prosecutors said the baby also had severe cerebral edema and petechiae, which they described as signs of suffocation or strangulation. A pathology expert retained in the case later concluded the death was consistent with a purposeful homicide, prosecutors said.
The case did not move straight to aggravated murder. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office first announced Topp’s arrest in June 2025 on an involuntary manslaughter charge after a 20-month investigation involving forensic testing, search warrants and interviews. At the time, officials said more charges could be considered. A grand jury later returned a superseding indictment that greatly expanded the case. The new charges include two counts of murder, two counts of endangering children, felonious assault and reckless homicide, giving prosecutors several paths as they argue how and why the baby died.
Assistant Prosecutor Tyler McCoy said Topp had been interviewed more than once and misled detectives before making admissions after his arrest. McCoy said Topp eventually admitted placing too much force on the baby’s mouth with the pacifier and that the infant became unresponsive. Prosecutors also said a recorded Christmas Day jail call supported their claim that Topp’s later account was truthful and that his earlier statements were false. Topp’s not guilty plea means those claims remain allegations unless proved in court.
The family has also tried to keep the baby’s identity from being reduced to initials in a court file. Amy Richter, the child’s grandmother, said the family remembered her as “Our Smiley Riley.” She said they wanted people to know the baby was happy and that her death took many smiles from the world. That grief now sits beside a formal criminal case with a bond order, a trial date and a list of charges that could carry severe penalties if Topp is convicted.
The next public milestone is his July 27 jury trial, where relatives’ accounts, medical findings and alleged statements are expected to be tested before jurors. Topp remains jailed in Licking County on $200,000 bond.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.