Doctors reported a perforated bowel, older rib injuries and septic shock before the death was ruled a homicide.
CHICAGO — A 6-month-old Indiana girl died at a Chicago children’s hospital after doctors found traumatic injuries that investigators say began at home and were followed by a delayed trip for emergency care.
The medical record is central to the case against Grant Ethan Stevens and Hannah Marie Evans, both 30, of Valparaiso. Stevens faces aggravated battery and two counts of neglect of a dependent. Evans faces neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Police said the child’s injuries, the parents’ statements and a stop at a gas station before the hospital formed the basis of the charges.
Doctors first treated the baby at Northwest Health in Porter after the parents brought her in on the morning after an incident at their apartment. Physicians found a perforated bowel and a rib fracture believed to be weeks old, according to records described by investigators. The child was then transferred to University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, where a child abuse expert reviewed her condition. That expert said the baby was in septic shock from a bodily infection and likely was dying while she was being driven to the first hospital. The expert also concluded there was no medical explanation for the injuries other than physical abuse.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple injuries. The ruling said the infant had several broken ribs in different stages of healing. For investigators, that finding mattered because it suggested the injuries were not limited to one moment. It also gave prosecutors a medical framework for a case that includes allegations of both direct harm and failure to provide care. The reports reviewed for this story do not say the court has determined who caused each injury or when each one happened. They show that doctors treated the injuries as inflicted trauma rather than an unexplained illness.
The parents’ accounts begin on Oct. 28, 2025, inside the couple’s Valparaiso apartment. Stevens told a Department of Child Services investigator that he was caring for the infant for about two hours while Evans took a break. He said he tried to bottle-feed the child, then saw mucus and vomit from her nose and mouth. Stevens said he panicked and tried back blows and CPR. He also said he did not tell Evans right away because he believed the baby had stabilized, though he noticed wheezing. That statement placed him with the infant during the window police later identified as important.
Evans told police she was in another room at the time, wearing noise-canceling headphones and playing a handheld video game. She said she heard several loud smacking sounds and checked on Stevens and the baby. She saw vomit on Stevens’ shirt and accepted his explanation that the child had thrown up, investigators said. Evans then returned to the game. Later that night, the couple went to bed while the infant was down for the night. Evans said she became worried when the baby missed a normal 1:30 a.m. feeding, but she did not seek help then.
By about 6 a.m., Stevens found the child cold to the touch and seemingly lifeless, police said. The couple did not call 911. They decided to drive to the hospital themselves because they thought it would be faster, according to the reports. Investigators said the trip still took about 30 minutes because the car made a detour to a Family Express gas station in the opposite direction from the hospital. Police said the couple stopped for a Red Bull energy drink, cigarettes and a candy bar. Evans later said Stevens insisted on the stop and that she objected.
The child’s condition made the timing significant. A doctor later said the gas station detour heavily worsened the outcome because the baby was likely dying during the drive. Police treated the stop as part of the failure to seek urgent care, not as a minor errand. The case file, as described in published reports, contrasts the parents’ stated belief that driving was faster with the choice to stop before reaching medical staff. That contrast is expected to be part of the prosecution’s account as the case moves through court.
Investigators also recorded earlier concerns described by Evans. She said the child once had abdominal bruising after hitting a coffee table while Stevens was caring for her. She also said Stevens had used abusive language toward the baby. Those statements were not the only evidence cited in the case. They were reported alongside the older rib fracture, the broken ribs in several stages of healing, the bowel injury and the child abuse expert’s conclusion. Together, authorities said, the evidence showed a pattern of harm during the infant’s short life.
The legal process is still ahead. Stevens and Evans have not been convicted, and the charges are allegations. Reports published after the arrests did not list the next court date or identify defense attorneys who could respond publicly. Indiana court guidance says criminal case information may be available through public portals, though some filings may require contact with the local clerk. The most important next steps are expected to include initial appearances, attorney filings, discovery and any hearings over medical evidence.
The child died Oct. 31, 2025, three days after the incident investigators traced to the Valparaiso apartment. As of June 16, 2026, the case stands as a pending criminal prosecution built around doctors’ findings, the parents’ own statements and the alleged delay before the baby reached emergency care.
Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.