East Texan sentenced to 13 years in toddler death

HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a Henderson County man was sentenced to 13 years in prison after his 18-month-old child was found dead in December 2021.

According to court records, Daniel David Dennis, 28, plead guilty to injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury, and was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday. While, two original charges of abandoning or endangering a child were dismissed.

Daniel was arrested with his wife, Erin Michelle Dennis, 27, on Dec. 15, 2021 after their toddler was found dead, the Henderson County Sherriff’s Office said. Inside their home authorities found two other children, human feces on the wall, and dirty diapers on the floor.

Authorities said the parents had locked the 103 degree children’s room from the outside to prevent anyone from escaping, and one of the baby’s cribs was rigged as a ‘cage’. Erin told police that when she woke to play video games, she went to check on the children and found the toddler dead.

“The mother, she basically said that they had made a make-shift cage. They had taken the crib and turned it upside down, put the mattress on the floor, had put the box springs on top of it and then they took a pet cage and surrounded the crib. In case he got out, he was still in a fenced area,” the sheriff’s office said.

Jail records said Erin’s charges for two counts of abandoning or endangering a child were considered while she was released to state jail for the injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury charge. KETK news contacted the District Clerk’s and District Attorney’s office but they had no further information about Erin’s status at this time.