Mercer County, New Jersey woman charged after 5-year-old girl dies, 3 other children left unattended
A woman was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment after a 5-year-old girl died in Mercer County, New Jersey on Sunday night, authorities said.
Raphaelle N. Register, 36, of Robbinsville, faces four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey announced in a news release Tuesday.
Marbrey said Register had a legal duty to care for four children, including the 5-year-old girl, another 5-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, and left all unattended.
Register failed to adequately feed and nourish the 5-year-olds and give them access to medical treatment, which constitutes abuse or neglect, Marbrey said.
It's not clear what Register's relationship to the children is.
A source said the death allegedly happened at a housing complex called Freedom Village on Ravens Road in Robbinsville.
Neighbors at the complex said they saw police overnight and into the early hours of Monday morning.
On Monday, an eviction notice was seen taped to the door of the home where a neighbor claimed the death occurred.
When CBS News Philadelphia knocked on the door, a police officer said an investigation related to that unit is underway.
Marbrey said the cause of the girl's death is still pending further testing and investigation. The girl's body was taken to the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
Prosecutors will aim to keep Register detained through future court proceedings.
