New information has surfaced as charging documents shed light on the death of Barrow child.

Contrary to earlier reports, the child who passed away in Barrow died not of battering, but of hypothermia.

Around 12:30 pm, when police responded to Tilden’s Barrow apartment after he called for assistance, they found the children’s bedroom window opened to the elements. The weather outside was a very cold, -30 degrees. Tilden was holding the children when officers arrived. The children were naked and hypothermic. The three-year-old was already unresponsive at the time.

Of the two officers present at that time, Sgt James Michels checked for a pulse on the unresponsive child and found none. CPR was administered. The children were both taken to the Samuel Simmons Memorial Hospital, where after three hours of CPR was administered while doctors worked to raise the child’s body temperature. Eventually the child’s heart was able to beat on it own.

When asked, an inebriated Tilden told officers that the reason the children were unclothed was because when he checked on the children after noon that day, he found that they had wet the bed and one of them had defecated there. The said he stripped the children and the bed and took them downstairs to clean them up. That is when, according to documents, that he found that the 3-year-old was unresponsive and placed a call to 911.

Officers found a very intoxicated Tilden when they arrived, alcohol bottles were strewn on the floor. When questioned, Tilden told police the identity of the bootlegger that supplied him with the alcohol. After several hours of detention, at 7pm on Thursday, Tilden still registered an alcohol level of .164.

Documents state that the window in the apartment bedroom was open to the elements, with no bedding. It was also noted that the bedroom door could not be opened from the inside as the latch was missing. The affidavit also stated that Police Chief Leon Boyea was unable to open the door from within and required assistance from the other side of the door to exit the room.

Esther Edweard-Gust told police that the children were fully clothed and asleep when she left for work that morning.

Both Esther Edwards-Gust and Richard Tilden have been charged with two counts of Felony Assault.