Pennsylvania Man Allegedly Raped And Murdered Toddler

A Pennsylvania man has been jailed on accusations that he violently raped and murdered an 18-month-old toddler. WNEP News reports that 27-year-old Jeremiah Cordell, of Forksville, is being held on a variety of charges. The details surrounding this case are horrifying, and members of the public are expressing feelings of disgust for what allegedly happened to the little girl.

The incident reportedly took place in New Albany, in September of 2015. However, it wasn’t until recently that Cordell was arrested and charged in association with the sexual assault and death of the 18-month-old little girl. Penn Live reports that 18-month-old Kendall Lynn Doss was discovered by her mother on September 14. The toddler was unresponsive, which sparked immediate alarm.

According to investigators, Jessica Arnold (the toddler’s mother) had left the girl in the care of the 27-year-old Pennsylvania man, because she was dropping off her other daughter with her father for the weekend. When she returned home, she found that her baby was sleeping, so she went to bed. She told authorities that Cordell had texted her while she was gone to let her know that the baby wasn’t feeling well. She reportedly threw up, so he changed her diaper, cleaned her up, and put her to bed. However, an autopsy showed that this is not at all what happened.

27 YO Jeremiah Cordell of Forksville, PA was charged today with Murder of 18 month old female. Invest began 9/15 pic.twitter.com/burZTGj3aS

— Lonnie Miller (@Lonniemiller1) June 30, 2016

An autopsy found that little Kendall had died by blunt force trauma associated with being shaken or hit. She suffered subdural hemorrhaging on her brain as well. This wasn’t the worst part of what allegedly happened to the 18-month-old baby. Medical examiners found signs of sexual assault, indicating that she had been raped by the man her mother had trusted to watch her. Authorities say that DNA tests have proved that the Pennsylvania man’s semen was on the child victim, as well as on a towel and an outfit that the little girl had worn the night of the incident.

Police haven’t commented on why it took so long to arrest and charge Cordell, but they have acknowledged that his story has changed multiple times since being interrogated back in September. First, he claimed to not know what happened to baby Kendall, but then he claimed that he may have accidentally dropped her when he was taking her for a bath. The Pennsylvania man has been identified as the fiancee of the child victim’s mother.

This isn’t the first time the boyfriend of a mother has been accused of raping, beating, or murdering a child in his care. Earlier this year, a New Mexico toddler was reportedly beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend. The man, 29-year-old Jorge Ortega, was charged with child abuse resulting in death.

Also this year, both a mom and her boyfriend were arrested in association with the violent death of a four-year-old girl. The mother of the child, along with her boyfriend, allegedly restrained and beat her. The horrifying reason behind the senseless incident was all because the 4-year-old child took her little brother’s juice and drank it. The punishment doled out by her mother and boyfriend ended in her death.

Pennsylvania man Jeremiah Cordell has been charged with various crimes stemming from the death of Kendall Lynn Doss. His charges include second-degree murder and deviate sexual intercourse. He is expected to be in court on July 3 and is currently being held without bail.

[Image via New York State Police]