Guardian Charged With Death Of 9-Year-Old Girl

WARWICK, RI — The Warwick Police Department has arrested a woman in relation to the death of a 9-year-old girl. Michelle Rothgeb, 55, was the guardian of the young girl who died on Jan. 3 this year.

Rothgeb was arrested Sunday morning at her Oakland Beach Avenue home on one count of "cruelty to, or neglect of, a child," police said on their Facebook page. The little girl had lived at that address with Rothgeb.

The arrest came after a 10-day investigation by Warwick detectives, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Attorney General's office. The "very in-depth" investigation substantiated the cruelty or neglect charge, police said.

Police confirmed in the post that they are treating it as a death investigation, not a murder.

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The Providence Journal reported that a family member said the girl had cerebral palsy.

Patch will update this article as more information becomes available.

Photo credit: Warwick Police Department