A couple in Indiana is facing possible neglect charges after the death of a young boy. Mom Angel Lovely and her boyfriend, Nicholas Bergdoll, were arrested after Lovely’s son was found dead by a sibling. The boy, who was dealing with multiple complex medical conditions, was allegedly not well-cared for by his mother. In fact, he was reportedly often locked in a basement closet, which is where his dead body was ultimately found. Despite his mother claiming it wasn’t a common occurrence, his siblings stated otherwise, and so did others who knew the family. The investigation seems to just be beginning.
The couple is being held by police.
Lovely and Bergdoll were arrested on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death, WISH reported. As of March 27, 2026, formal charges against the couple had not been filed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
A sibling found the 4-year-old boy dead on March 23, investigators said. Although the couple was in the home at the time, they claimed to be asleep when he died.
Lovely claimed she rarely put the boy in the closet. She said she only did it “when he won’t stop screaming,” or she “needed a break.” When police interviewed her other children, however, they told a different story. They said he “stays in the closet all day” and that “mom locks him in the closet. They added that their mom “does not pay attention to him.”
One of the children told police that they heard him gagging but didn’t say anything to their mother because it wasn’t uncommon.
The boy was found with blood in his mouth.
He was nonverbal and used a wheelchair because he was born premature with cerebral palsy. The boy was fed through a feeding tube, and Lovely claimed he was aspirating before his death, WISH reported. An official cause of death is still being investigated.
Court records obtained by WISH showed the Department of Child Services had removed him from his mother’s care because of medical neglect, but he was returned to her against the agency’s recommendation.
“I’m sickened,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told the outlet. “Think about putting yourself in that situation. Every day, do you want to be in a closet? Locked up, no light?”
According to investigators, Bergdoll told police he didn’t agree with how Lovely handled her son, but he kept his mouth shut, per WISH. “I am not going to tell her how to f—ing raise her kids,” he said.
People tried to get the boy away from his mother.
“I’m absolutely devastated. I think this was completely preventable,” a neighbor who asked not to be identified told Fox 59. The neighbor said she had called DCS multiple times because she was concerned about the boy, who was identified as Malichi Lovely, as well as his siblings.
“The system is broken. I know there were several neighbors who raised awareness to Child Protective Services,” the neighbor shared, per Fox 59.
Court records obtained by the outlet confirmed that multiple friends, family members and neighbors called to raise concerns over two years. At the time of Malichi’s death, Lovely, Bergdoll, and the children were living with his sister, who claimed Lovely wasn’t particularly loving toward her children. However, she claimed she never saw any abuse. At the time of his death, Malichi only weighed 22 pounds.
His biological father, Bear Schmidt, who was not really present in his son’s life, spoke with Fox 59, saying he regrets looking past red flags showing Lovely was a neglectful mother.
“I’m still a bit in shock. Nobody wants to hear these things being done to any child, much less to find out this happened to one of your own,” he said.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
