Recently, a 2 ½ year old child was found inside a Kent County home along with the body of a dead man. Authorities are saying the toddler likely tended to herself for several days. Although this is the second time in under a month that law enforcement has found a very young child in a home with a deceased adult, this situation is apparently very different from the previous one.
According to police, Megan Wheelock contacted them to report that she wasn’t able to get through to 49-year-old Ron Finkler at his home on Peach Ridge in Tyrone Township. After several days of unanswered phone calls and no other contact, Wheelock called police.
Finkler was the part-time caregiver of 2 ½ year old Haleigh, Wheelock’s daughter, who stayed with him in his house. Haleigh, who was unharmed when officers found her, had been caring for herself since Finkler’s death. Authorities suspect that she may have been alone for some time, possibly days.
Finkler was identified for police by his priest, Monsignor Terrance Stewart of Holy Family Parish in Sparta.
“It’s hard to believe and hard to understand.” Stewart said about Haleigh, “Apparently she went into the refrigerator and got food and so on. They think that’s what she did.”
As we understand it, Wheelock was working a job located in Osceola County which is some distance from the family home in Kent County, and therefore she wasn’t available to look after her daughter during her work days. Haleigh’s father is currently in prison serving a sentence for cocaine related charges, as such, Ron stepped in to help out and care for the little girl.
Child Protective Services was contacted as soon as the little girl was found. Although she had no apparent injuries, she was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. The most recent information however, indicates that she is completely fine.
CPS was able to contact Wheelock where she was working in Reed City in Osceola County, and she immediately came to Kent County to be reunited with her daughter. Still, CPS has placed Haleigh in her grandmother’s custody until they complete their investigation into the situation.
Police are saying that an autopsy revealed that there was no foul play and it is believed that he died of natural causes. However, they are conducting a full investigation into the situation none-the-less.