Police Charge Couple With Assault In 10-Month-Old Girl's Death

SOMERSET BOROUGH (KDKA) -- A Somerset County couple is facing a long list of charges after investigators say the woman's young daughter died from a head injury earlier this year.

Police say 10-month-old Arianna Miller died at Children's Hospital on April 14 after suffering from a traumatic brain injury they believe was intentional.

Angalina Miller, 28, and Michael Wingard, 31, were arrested Tuesday morning on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.

A few days before Arianna's death, Somerset Borough Police responded to a Childline report for alleged physical abuse.

Arianna was taken to Somerset Hospital where she was unresponsive and unconscious but breathing. She was then transferred to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Wingard told police Arianna hit her head while she was getting a bath on April 9. But police say Miller denied Arianna falling and hitting her head at all.

Doctors said it looked like Arianna's injuries weren't accidental and would have been inflicted about 12 to 24 hours before she was examined.

"The nature of what she was suffering from couldn't have come from a fall, from being hit with a toy. It clearly was inflicted. Once inflicted, she would have been in immediate distress," Somerset County District Attorney Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser said.

"In a lot of ways the physical evidence is very clear. The pool of suspects is very small. That piece that we're missing is waiting for that cause of death coming from the autopsy," Somerset Police Chief Randy Cox said.

Once autopsy results come in, the couple could be charged with criminal homicide.

Both Miller and Wingard are at the Somerset County Jail with bail each set at $100,000.

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