Police said the couple stopped for an energy drink, cigarettes and candy while the 6-month-old was critically injured.

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Two Indiana parents were charged after police said they drove their dying 6-month-old daughter toward a hospital but stopped first at a gas station, delaying care after the infant suffered injuries later ruled a homicide.

The case centers on Grant Ethan Stevens and Hannah Marie Evans, both 30, and the decisions police say they made after finding their daughter cold, limp and nearly lifeless on the morning after an incident inside their Valparaiso apartment. Stevens faces one count of aggravated battery and two counts of neglect of a dependent. Evans faces one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Investigators said the child was in danger before the car ever reached the road. On Oct. 28, 2025, Evans told authorities she took a break and left the baby with Stevens for about two hours. Stevens later told a Department of Child Services investigator that he was trying to feed the child with a bottle when mucus and vomit came from her nose and mouth. He said he panicked and tried back blows and CPR. Stevens told investigators he did not alert Evans because he believed the baby’s breathing had settled, even though he noticed a wheezing sound. That account became one piece of a timeline that police later compared with medical findings from doctors who treated the infant.

Evans told police she was in another room during the same period, wearing noise-canceling headphones and playing a handheld video game. She said she heard several loud smacking sounds and went to check on Stevens and the baby. She saw vomit on Stevens’ shirt, accepted his brief explanation and returned to the game, investigators said. The couple later went to bed while the infant was down for the night. Evans also told authorities she felt something was wrong overnight when the baby missed a normal 1:30 a.m. feeding. She said she planned to wait until morning and take the child to a doctor if there were still problems.

Police said the morning brought a crisis. Around 6 a.m., Stevens found the child cold to the touch and apparently lifeless. The couple did not call 911 for an ambulance, according to investigators. They decided to drive the baby to Northwest Health in Porter, saying they thought that would be faster. Investigators later said the trip took about 30 minutes because the couple made a detour to a Family Express gas station in the opposite direction from the hospital. Police said the stop was made to buy a Red Bull energy drink, cigarettes and a candy bar. Evans later said Stevens insisted on stopping and that she was upset about it.

Doctors at Northwest Health found serious trauma, including a perforated bowel and a rib fracture that was believed to have happened weeks earlier, according to records described by investigators. The infant was transferred to University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital for more treatment. She died Oct. 31, 2025. A child abuse expert said the child was in septic shock from a bodily infection and likely was dying during the drive to the hospital. The expert also said the gas station detour worsened the child’s condition and concluded there was no medical explanation for the catastrophic injuries other than physical abuse.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple injuries. The review found several broken ribs in different stages of healing, a detail investigators said pointed to more than one injury event during the infant’s short life. Police said Stevens’ charges reflect both the alleged acute injury and the broader claims of neglect. Evans’ charge focuses on the alleged failure to get emergency medical care in time. Authorities have not said that the infant’s full medical history, including the timing of each rib injury, has been fully resolved in court.

Evans also described earlier warning signs to investigators, according to the reports. She said the baby once had abdominal bruising after hitting a coffee table while in Stevens’ care. She also told authorities Stevens had used abusive language toward the child. Those statements are expected to be weighed with the medical evidence, the parents’ accounts and the timing of the hospital trip. Police have not said whether any other adults were in the apartment during the key window on Oct. 28. The child’s name has not been released in the reports reviewed for this story.

The case now moves through the Porter County court system, where prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Online public-records guidance from Indiana courts says some case details may be available through state and county portals, while some filings may require contact with the clerk’s office. Reports published after the arrests did not list the next court date. It also was not immediately clear from the reports whether Stevens or Evans had attorneys who could speak publicly on their behalf.

The gas station stop has become the clearest public detail in a case built from medical records, police statements and a timeline that began in an apartment and ended at a children’s hospital in Chicago. As of June 16, 2026, the charges remain the next formal step in the case, with future hearings expected to set how prosecutors and defense lawyers will test the evidence.

Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.