Mother of 2-year-old Indiana girl who accidently shot herself charged with neglect of dependent

The mother of a 2-year-old northwestern Indiana girl who died after accidentally shooting herself with a gun she found in her home has been charged with neglect of a dependent.

The charge has been filed against Abigail Rodriguez, 28, of Portage, online court records showed Wednesday.

Hours after shooting herself on Feb. 7, Grace Rodriguez died at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said at the time.

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Abigail Rodriguez told police she and her daughter were in the girl’s bedroom when Grace wandered into her mother’s room and shot herself with a 9 mm handgun, a Portage police officer wrote in an affidavit, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

The woman said she thought her daughter was walking toward the living room until she heard a gunshot, the affidavit said, and she rushed into her bedroom and saw Grace on the floor, wounded.

She said she keeps the weapon in the kitchen during the day and on a nightstand next to her bed at night, the affidavit said. But on the day in question, she said she forgot to bring the gun into the kitchen.

A message seeking comment from Rodriguez’s attorney could not be left Wednesday because his voicemail box was full.