Left: Jose Melendez Padilla. Right: Layla Souders (Dauphin County Prison).
A Pennsylvania woman claimed she dropped her 4-month-old daughter, leading to her injuries — but police allege her boyfriend beat the girl to death because he was apparently uninterested in caring for her.
Jose Melendez Padilla, 24, and Layla Souders, 20, stand accused of killing 4-month-old Ioni Souders, the Susquehanna Township Police Department said in a press release. Cops responded to a call about an infant in cardiac arrest around 2:14 p.m. on March 28 to an apartment in the 3200 block of Wakefield Road outside of Harrisburg. The girl was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
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According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate WHP, Souders said she had dropped the girl on her head a few days before her death, which could explain the injuries. But the girl reportedly suffered a compound fracture in her right femur along with broken ribs and a skull fracture. Additionally, the girl had traumatic injuries to her brain, neck and chest, according to cops.
Since the injuries were in various forms of healing, police determined they occurred on more than one occasion, the affidavit reportedly said.
Eventually, Souders admitted she made up the story about dropping her and said Melendez Padilla was responsible for abusing the baby, according to cops. She reportedly said her boyfriend had been abusing the baby since late February. Souders said she avoided taking the girl to a checkup visit with the doctor because of her condition, the affidavit said.
Melendez Padilla admitted to some of the abuse, and a search of his text messages reportedly showed his disdain for the child, per cops. He allegedly wrote that he hated the baby and did not want her to be part of their lives.
“I hate that you’ve felt her for 8 f—ing months, a f—ing life that is not ours,” he reportedly wrote Souders. “I hate feeling this hate. I would love to love her, but I swear I can’t.”
He also reportedly suggested to his girlfriend that they put Ioni up for adoption.
“I hate seeing her everyday,” he allegedly wrote.
Melendez Padilla also detailed some of the abuse he inflicted upon the girl. On March 22, he reportedly said he hit the infant, causing her to go unconscious and requiring CPR. A few days later Melendez Padilla noticed an apparent injury to the girl’s leg.
“By the way, she has a much fatter right leg (the broken one) compared to the other,” he reportedly wrote.
At no point did either defendant seek medical care for the girl. Melendez Padilla reportedly searched Google and TikTok to study the girl’s injuries and possible home remedies.
Souders, who deleted her text messages, told cops she left her daughter alone with Melendez Padilla on the day of her death.
Cops arrested Souders on charges of third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy endangering the welfare of a child, tampering with evidence and conspiracy tampering with evidence. Melendez Padilla stands accused of first-degree murder and the same child abuse and evidence tampering charges as his girlfriend.
Investigators also learned that Melendez Padilla was an undocumented immigrant. According to cops, he entered the country illegally in May 2024 and was supposed to leave in August 2024, but stayed. He also was in possession of illegal identification cards and is facing charges related to that, cops say.
Both are in the Dauphin County Prison without bond. They are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
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