An Indianapolis father and his girlfriend were sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for their roles in a 7-year-old boy’s death from starvation and abuse.
Kevin Gavarrete, 27, and Julia Sizemore, 22, both pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent, a high-level felony, in connection with Gavarrete’s son Kayden’s death in 2024. According to internet documents from Marion Superior Court 7, further counts against them were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
According to a redacted police report released to the public, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was summoned to Gavarrete and Sizemore’s residence in the 1300 block of South Pershing Avenue at 3:40 p.m. on December 22, 2024. This is in a residential and industrial neighborhood a few blocks southwest of the West Morris Street bridge over Eagle Creek on the city’s west side. The house is a short walk north of Ross Claypool Park.
IMPD child abuse detectives and the Indiana Department of Child Services were dispatched to the home after the 7-year-old was discovered deceased.
An autopsy later determined that the cause of death was multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. Medical examiners determined that malnutrition and dehydration were other contributing reasons to the boy’s death. Kayden weighed 32 pounds when he died.
According to a news release published on Monday by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Gavarrete was unable to give investigators logical reasons for his son’s condition or physical injuries. He informed investigators that he intended to take the child to the doctor for medical treatment but failed to do so.
Sizemore also told investigators that she did not seek medical treatment for the boy. She explained that she wanted to offer Gavarrete the opportunity to seek help himself because the boy was not her son. Sizemore also told investigators that she did not want to “get into his personal business” concerning the child’s care.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement in the release, “In my 20-year tenure as a prosecutor, this is one of the worst instances I’ve seen. It is heartbreaking for me to be the father of a child Kayden’s age. This resolution ensures that both offenders will serve decades in jail and offers Kayden’s family certainty.
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