A starving Indiana toddler, allegedly murdered by his parents, had been eating drywall, paint chips and even diapers in a desperate effort to stay alive, police say.
Erik Reichard, two, was found dead in a Tell City home last month weighing just 15 pounds - about half the normal weight for his age - with his body covered in sores and bug bites.
His parents, Trevor Reichard-Hayes, 39, and Katherine Carter, 31, allegedly admitted they had not seen their son alive for about 14 hours before making the 911 call, according to WKRC News.
When investigators executed a search warrant, they found disturbing conditions inside the home: feces on the floor, diapers scattered about, insects present and human waste that had built up for days or even weeks.
The pair were swiftly arrested and charged with murder, along with multiple counts of neglect of a dependent, including counts resulting in death and serious bodily injury, according to the Tell City Police Department.
'Scenes such as these are extremely difficult for the officers, first responders and partner agencies involved,' TCPD stated in a statement.
'We respectfully ask for and appreciate your prayers and support for the investigators as well as the victim's family during this difficult time,' police added.
The grim discovery came just before 1:20pm on March 31, when authorities responded to a 911 call from a Guttenberg Lane home about an unresponsive child.
Erik Reichard, two, of Indiana, allegedly resorted to eating drywall, paint chips and diapers due to extreme hunger in the weeks leading up to his death
Katherine Carter, 31, Erik's mother (pictured with her other son), allegedly told investigators that she and her husband had last seen their son alive about 14 hours before dialing 911
Erik's father, Trevor Reichard-Hayes, 39, allegedly told 911 dispatchers that his wife found their toddler not breathing and brought him downstairs
The caller, identified as Reichard-Hayes, allegedly told dispatchers his wife found their toddler not breathing and brought him downstairs before dialing 911.
Responding officers arrived to find Erik lying on the living room floor, where they immediately began CPR in a frantic bid to save his life, according to WFIE News.
The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene after life-saving efforts failed.
Authorities determined he had been dead for several hours, while his parents said they last saw him around 11pm the night before.
Two other children were removed from the residence as authorities launched an investigation into Erik's death, with one sent to the hospital for severe malnutrition and dehydration.
Police observed that Erik was extremely emaciated, showed signs of malnutrition and had more than 40 sores or insect bites across his small body, according to the local news outlet.
Carter revealed to authorities that her son had been eating diapers, behavior that officers suspected stemmed from extreme hunger.
Detectives spent an extended period at the home, working alongside the Perry County Coroner's Office, the Prosecutor's Office and the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Officers executing the subsequent search warrant uncovered squalid conditions: feces on the children's room floor, drywall, paint chips, spackling, dirt, insects and pieces of diapers strewn across the home, according to WFIE.
Erik was found in a home on Guttenberg Lane last month extremely emaciated and malnourished, with more than 40 sores or insect bites across his body
A search of the couple's home revealed 'deplorable' conditions: feces on the children's room floor, drywall, paint chips, spackling, dirt, insects and diaper pieces strewn around (pictured: Erik's gender reveal)
Two other children were removed from the residence, with one sent to the hospital for severe malnutrition and dehydration (pictured: the father with another child)
The pair were arrested and charged with murder, along with multiple counts of neglect of a dependent, including counts resulting in death and serious bodily injury
'We go into a lot of homes through our job and we certainly understand that having children, that's hard to keep your house the way that you would prefer it to be,' Tell City Police Chief Derrick Lawalin told WFIE News.
'But this was exceptionally difficult, the home was not in good living conditions at all,' he added. 'Right away, just our immediate observations just caused us to [call] Department of Child Services.'
One child's bedroom - though it was not confirmed if it belonged to Erik - contained only a small bed, with pieces of diaper and drywall scattered across the floor.
Also inside the room, authorities found a training toilet filled with feces and urine, which appeared to have gone uncleaned for weeks.
'The living conditions that he was confined to are not what you would want a child to be exposed to,' Perry County Prosecutor Samantha Hurst said, according to WFIE News.
An autopsy revealed that Erik's malnourished body contained materials consistent with drywall, paint chips, spackling and pieces of diapers, officials said.
On Friday, following a joint investigation with child services, the couple was arrested in connection with their son's death and booked into the Perry County Detention Center.
The parents are set to appear in court Tuesday for the first time. If convicted, Indiana law allows for 45 to 65 years for murder and up to 40 years for Level 1 felony neglect.
The two surviving children removed from the home remain in state custody for their safety and ongoing medical care.
'This is a highly emotional case... It's a case that's beyond what we see often here in our community,' Chief Lawalin told WFIE.
'Most of the officers and first responders that respond to these type of things,' he added. 'We have children of our own so it's certainly difficult to not get too emotionally attached to the case.'
Carter fashioned herself a 'digital content creator' on Facebook, but Reichard-Hayes' LinkedIn revealed a background spanning years in the United States Army.
His listed occupations included infantryman, pathfinder, team machine gunner in Afghanistan, company armorer and field material tester.