The 20-year-old mother of a deceased 6-month-old infant in Crown Point has been formally charged in the infant’s death.

Brittany C. Chambers, is currently being held at the Lake County Jail. She has been charged with Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death and Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent.

The charges come as a result of an ongoing criminal investigation led by Crown Point Police detectives into the baby’s death.

“This arrest in no way ends our agency’s investigation into this horrific case,” Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land said.

According to the probable cause affidavit, police arrived at a residence in the 700 block of South Main Street Friday afternoon, where they met Chambers, who was holding the infant and said the baby was not breathing. According to the affidavit, the baby was cold to the touch and was in rigor mortis.

After entering the home, police said there was garbage, drug paraphernalia, animal feces, unknown liquid and substances on the floor that stuck to the shoes of the officers who entered the room of Chamber’s boyfriend where the baby’s playpen was, the affidavit said. Police said the playpen in the bedroom where the baby slept was damaged and filled with clothes.

According to the affidavit, an autopsy showed the infant had four broken ribs, both shoulders were dislocated, a fractured C1 vertebrae, hematoma on both lungs, multiple injuries all over the cranium including a fracture on the rear of the cranium that caused a hematoma and extensive blood on the rear of the brain just outside the fracture.

Police said in the affidavit that the injuries were caused by blunt force trauma to the rear of the victim and were done recently.

The affidavit also stated that Chambers went to the Crown Point Police Department on Saturday with an Indiana Department of Child Services case manager, who told police that Chambers signed a safety plan on March 19 stating that her baby would have no contact with her boyfriend, who is not the baby’s father, and maintain suitable housing.

The safety plan was put into place after a suspicious injury to the baby that required hospitalization, according to police

Police said that Chambers told them she was with her boyfriend and the baby on Thursday and Friday and she left the baby alone with the boyfriend while she left with a friend.

Police said Chambers did that knowing that she violated the safety plan put in place by the DCS.

Rob Earnshaw is a freelance reporter.