A New Castle woman who police say searched online for months about what happens to children who swallow dangerous substances — including water beads, sunscreen and batteries — has been charged with fatally poisoning her boyfriend’s 18-month-old daughter last summer with acetone.

Aleisia Owens, 20, was arrested Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and charged with criminal homicide in the June death of Iris Jacoby-Alfera. Owens was denied bail Thursday and is being held at Lawrence County Jail.

According to the criminal complaint, less than three months before Iris died, the toddler was taken to the hospital after swallowing the same items Owens had researched online — batteries and water beads — while in the custody of her father, Bailey Jacoby, and Owens, with whom he lived.

According to court records, Lawrence County Children and Youth Services was contacted about that incident, but no charges were filed, and it appears no action was taken by the agency.

New Castle police Chief Robert Salem said Thursday he was not involved in the CYS investigation.

“As far as their findings, it’s hard for me to say,” he said. “I was told they didn’t have any evidence at the time.

“I’m not blaming CYS. Of course it’s frustrating, the system,” Salem said. “I don’t know if someone made an error, but the end result we have now is frustrating.

“Something’s wrong because a young child is dead.”

According to the criminal complaint, first responders were called to Owens’ house on Electric Street in New Castle shortly after 4 p.m. June 25 for an unresponsive 1-year-old.

They found Iris breathing but with fixed, glazed eyes.

She was taken to UPMC Jameson in New Castle and then flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she died four days later.

An autopsy by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed Iris died from acetone poisoning, which caused organ failure.

Acetone, a solvent that is used in household products including nail polish remover, can cause nausea, vomiting and pain, according to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Doctors found Iris also had bleeding in her brain and hemorrhages of both retinas.

Physicians with UPMC Children’s Child Advocacy Center told detectives that any “reasonable caretaker” would have recognized significant changes in Iris’ cognition and function immediately after she sustained such injuries, the complaint said.

After learning that Iris’ condition might have been the result of child abuse, police interviewed Jacoby and Owens, who were caring for her that day.

They told police that Iris had vomited several times in the past 24 hours, but otherwise seemed normal, the complaint said.

At the time of Iris’ medical emergency, police said, Jacoby was at a local grocery store. Owens called him and told him the child was lethargic. He told her to call 911 and rushed home. Jacoby told police that Owens told him Iris had fallen out of bed but did not hit her head, the complaint said.

During the interview with police, Owens interjected, and said, ‘no, I told you that she hit her head,’” the complaint said.

Police then interviewed Owens, who said she was feeding Iris on the bed that afternoon when her arms and legs “cramped up.”

Owens, who told police she was in nursing training, said Iris immediately fell sideways off the bed to the floor. She said she saw the infant’s chest “collapse.” Owens started chest compressions, called Jacoby and then 911.

Detectives who visited the house later learned the bed Iris had been on was a 6-inch mattress on a carpeted floor.

Owens was adamant that neither she nor Jacoby let Iris out of their sight and they were diligent about her care, the complaint said. She also said the bathroom cabinets of the home were locked.

As part of their investigation, detectives seized Owens’ phone. A search of it revealed months of suspicious web searches beginning in February, according to a criminal complaint.

They included:

“What should you do if your child drinks acetone?”

“If your child digest a lot of nail polish remover what happens”

“In how many cases have kids died from eating water bead[s]”

“Beauty products that are poisonous to kids.”

Police found more than a dozen searches Feb. 28, including, “poisonous products to babies,” “can sunscreen poison a 1 year old baby,” and “what happens if my baby eats nail polish,” according to the complaint.

On March 8, police found a search for “Symptoms of swallowing a battery,” and “what happens if a baby swallows a button battery.”

Such searches continued on at least seven other occasions up to several days before Iris’ death.

On June 20, Owens’ phone searched, “how+does+shaken+baby+syndrome+happen.”

In the days after the investigation began, detectives found deleted web searches about how polygraph exams work, how to pass them and how to beat them, the complaint said.

Police had asked Owens to take a polygraph exam when they questioned her. It was not clear from the complaint whether she complied.

The criminal complaint also details the troubling incident three months earlier in which Iris ingested batteries and water beads. After having been in the care of Jacoby and Owens on April 1, Iris was taken to UPMC Children’s by her mother, Emily Alfera, after she found more than 20 water beads passed in the child’s stool.

Water beads, which come in toys and craft kits, are small, super-absorbent balls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that swallowing them can have dire consequences for children.

“Ingested water beads can continue to grow inside the body. This can cause severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration, intestinal blockages and life-threatening injuries, and surgery may be required to remove the water beads,” the commission’s website says.

While at the hospital, Iris passed more water beads along with a screw and three button-type batteries, police said.

After four days of treatment, the complaint said, Iris was released to her mother’s care. Alfera, who had won primary physical custody of her daughter months earlier, returned to court April 5, filing a petition for special relief with Common Pleas Judge David H. Acker.

According to the petition, medical personnel from Children’s Hospital contacted Lawrence County Children and Youth Services for suspected child neglect.

“Father’s inability to appropriately supervise the minor child puts the minor child at risk and subject to harm,” the petition said. “Mother believes that it is necessary to suspend father’s periods of partial custody pending an investigation by Children and Youth Services and further hearing on the instant petition.”

But Acker didn’t limit Jacoby’s access to Iris. Instead, on April 11, the judge issued an order requiring Alfera and Jacoby to attend co-parenting classes at the Penn State extension office.

He scheduled a hearing on the petition for May 2, which was later continued, court records show, after the parties reached an agreement.

A message left Thursday for Acker was not immediately returned.

Lawrence County CYS Director John Bout refused to answer questions about the case Thursday. He referred questions to the county administrator, citing policy on speaking to the media. County Administrator Joe Venasco referred messages to county Solicitor Jason Medure.

“The commissioners were alerted after the death of the child that a case was (previously) opened,” he said.

Citing confidentiality requirements, Medure said he could not comment further.

Crystal Joseph, Alfera’s aunt, said the Attorney General’s Office asked the family to not discuss the underlying charges. Joseph did say, though, “This child should have been protected.

“Her loving family did everything in our power to protect her.”

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