There is no question that having a baby is exhausting, particularly in the first few months. That baby is just learning how to survive and relies 100% on adults for care. No parent should go into this job thinking life will be just as it was before. It’s a tremendous sacrifice of both our physical and mental well-being at times, but so rewarding in the end. Sadly, not all parents make it to that point. They break for a myriad of reasons, and it can have tragic consequences.
Chance Terrence Topp, a dad of three from Ohio, allegedly became so exhausted after his daughter’s birth that he did the unthinkable, suffocating her with a pacifier. Now, he faces murder charges.
The infant’s crying apparently bothered her father.
First responders rushed to a home in Utica just after 7 p.m. on October 13, 2023, according to a news release from the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive 4-month-old baby, identified in an obituary as Riley Jo Topp. Crews rushed Riley to Licking Memorial Hospital, where staff later declared her dead. The infant had what staff considered “suspicious” injuries that launched a more than two-year investigation into her death.
Topp apparently had a wild story for authorities.
The night of Riley’s death, Topp allegedly told police he heard his baby gasping for air in her crib, according to court documents obtained by WBNS. Topp reportedly said he immediately began CPR and ran for help, but he did not call 911. When the infant arrived at the hospital, she had suspicious bruising around her neck and jawline.
Court documents revealed that Riley tested positive for Delta-8 THC. Topp reportedly told police he had been smoking THC that day to calm himself down when caring for Riley while her mother was working, WBNS reported. The family told police Topp often drank, smoked, and played video games with the baby near him, and would be inattentive to her needs. Topp ultimately admitted to police that he held Riley’s pacifier forcefully to her face to stop the crying. His frustration reportedly led to the baby’s death.
Topp faces multiple charges.
More than two years later, Topp faces 12 charges related to Riley’s death, including aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of endangering children, strangulation, reckless homicide, felonious assault, domestic violence, and falsification, per WBNS. A conviction on the aggravated murder charge alone could send Topp to death row, according to Ohio law.
We get it; parenting is tiring. But if you’re spending time on booze, drugs, and video games and not prioritizing your children, it’s your own fault you’re so exhausted. No baby deserves the wrath of someone who’s too selfish to get their life together before bringing a child into this world.
