Indiana man charged with neglect after 10-year-old autistic daughter shoots and kills herself

An Indiana man has been arrested on multiple felony neglect charges, after his 10-year-old autistic daughter accidentally shot and killed herself at their home in Gary on Wednesday.

Mykael Robertson, 29, has been charged with six counts of neglect of a dependent.

According to the charges, police responded to Robertson's home on Wednesday, and found 10-year-old Malaysia Robertson had been shot in the head. An investigation determined the gunshot wound was self-inflicted in an apparent accident.

Her father told police the two had been sleeping on Wednesday when he woke up and went outside to walk the dog and call his girlfriend. When he returned to his bedroom, Malaysia wasn't in bed anymore, and he started calling out for her.

He found her in another bedroom, and started performing chest compressions.

Two other children, ages 6 and 7, were also sleeping at home at the time of the shooting, and woke up to the sound of the gunshot, but were not injured.

Mykael Robertson told police he kept two guns in the top dresser drawer of his bedroom, but normally keeps them unloaded. He said, because Malaysia was autistic, he didn't think she knew where he kept his guns or how to operate a firearm.

The children's mother told police Mykael had been caring for the children after he recently lost his job. She also said she did not believe Mykael would ever harm their children.

At his first court appearance on Thursday, a judge set Mykael Robertson's bail at $50,000. He is due back in court on July 31.