Overview
- Deputies responded to a Utica home on October 13, 2023, after a 4-month-old was found unresponsive and the infant was later pronounced dead at Licking Memorial Hospital.
- An autopsy by the Licking County Coroner's Office ruled the death a homicide by asphyxia and noted red marks on the neck and bruising along the jawline.
- Toxicology tests showed the infant had delta-8 THC in her system, and investigators say the father admitted he had smoked in the child's room.
- Prosecutors say a roughly 20-month investigation produced inconsistent statements from Chance Terrence Topp and that he ultimately admitted using excessive force to hold a pacifier over the baby's mouth, rendering her unresponsive.
- A local grand jury returned a 13-count superseding indictment that includes aggravated murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, strangulation and child endangerment; Topp is held on $200,000 bond and a jury trial is scheduled for July 27, 2026.