Parents arrested in death of girl

David Kihara and Matt Pordum

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 11:10 a.m.

The parents accused of killing their 2-year-old daughter through neglect were arrested by Metro Police as the couple was driving to a custody hearing at Family Court on Tuesday.

Metro officers arrested Charlene Snyder and Jack Richardson about one block from Family Court, at Washington Avenue and Pecos Road in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven after Metro received a tip from a concerned friend of the family, said Metro Sgt. Chuck Pierce of the domestic violence detail.

Police were in the Family Court area searching for Snyder and Richardson before receiving the tip of their whereabouts, he said.

Snyder and Richardson were scheduled to be arraigned in Justice Court today but had their arraignment rescheduled for Thursday morning so the court could determine who would represent them.

After receiving a copy of her criminal complaint Snyder began reading, but soon squirmed and tried to hide her face with her hand when she realized the television news camera in court was there to film her.

She sat one row behind Richardson, who kept his head down reading his complaint, refusing to acknowledge several attempts by Snyder to talk to him.

As the couple read the charges against them, Chief Deputy District Attorney Tom Carroll explained why they were facing second-degree murder charges instead of first-degree murder, a charge that carries harsher punishment.

Carroll said the couple had been charged with neglect not abuse. He said neglect constitutes "allowing or letting" while "abuse is commission."

When asked if not feeding a 2-year-old child properly under the advice of a pediatrician was equitable to abuse the prosecutor responded saying "it's a good question, one the office (district attorney's office) has been debating."

"You have to factor in she's (Adacelli) a cerebral palsy kid with built in medical issues," Carroll said. "Then you look at ... (Snyder's) 1-year-old son who was hospitalized for a lesser degree of malnutrition. In the end we felt this was neglect not abuse."

The couple had been scheduled to appear before a Family Court judge Tuesday for a hearing to determine custody status of one or more of their children, but the arrest prevented Snyder and Richardson from attending the hearing, said Valarie Fujii, the attorney representing Snyder in Family Court.

The hearing was postponed to Aug. 15.

"She knew it was coming," Fujii said of Snyder's arrest. "I think everybody knew where they were."

Pierce said that if Snyder and Richardson are still in custody on the day of the custody status hearing, the authorities will transport them to Family Court.

"Our hope is that (the children) stay where they are at -- they're better off," Pierce said.

Snyder and Richardson have had regular visitation with the remaining children, who were removed from Snyder's care and placed with a relative, Fujii said.

On Monday, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure issued an arrest warrant for Snyder and Richardson. Both are charged with second degree murder in the death of Adacelli Louise Snyder, who was found dead in the family's mobile home on June 29.

The couple is also charged with multiple counts of child abuse or neglect for allegedly neglecting Snyder's three other ages, aged five to one.

The coroner's office ruled that Adacelli died from cachexia, or general wasting away due to malnutrition and neglect. It ruled that the death is a homicide.

Adacelli was found dead on June 29 in the family's mobile home, at 1832 N. Walnut Ave. The 2-year-old, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and weighed only 11 pounds, was found with sores on her buttocks, bruises on her body and suffered from a severe case of head lice, according to an arrest warrant.

The other three children also suffered from severe cases of head lice and showed signs of neglect, according to the arrest warrant.

The Clark County Child Protective Services monitored the family from July 2003 to June 2004 after it received reports that Adacelli was losing weight and of poor conditions in the home.

Fujii stated that Snyder was expecting the arrest after the coroner's office made a ruling on the death.

"We were waiting for the autopsy report," she said.

Snyder and Richardson had been essentially homeless and were staying with friends, she said.

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