Bakersfield couple charged in death of malnourished infant

A Bakersfield couple faces murder charges after police said their 3-month-old girl was found dead from possible abuse and dehydration.

Vanessa Wolfe, 30, and Eddie Levya, 25, were charged Monday with second-degree murder and willful cruelty to their child, according to Kern County Superior Court records.

They were arrested Thursday after police found the infant dead inside a home in the 1000 block of L Street, Bakersfield police Sgt. Joseph Grubbs said. Preliminary results from an autopsy show the infant was malnourished, dehydrated and suffered physical abuse, he said.

Police were sent to the home after Wolfe called in to report that her baby was not breathing, authorities said. Before officers arrived, however, Levya had fled with the couple’s two other children, ages 1 and 3, Grubbs said.

Levya was tracked down a short time later and arrested on two outstanding warrants for resisting arrest and giving false information to a police officer, Grubbs said.

Police said Wolfe and Levya were later booked on charges in connection with endangering their two other children, who were placed in protective custody.

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