Berkeley Township couple indicted in daughter’s death

The Berkeley Township couple whose two-year-old drowned in a neighbor's swimming pool last August appear headed for trial on charges of child endangerment and drug possession.

Brigitte M. McCarthy, 31, and Robert S. Trella Jr., 41, were indicted on 11 counts by an Ocean County grand jury in Toms River Thursday, according to the office of County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

Each faces two second-degree counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and three third-degree charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Trella is also the subject of a fourth-degree charge of evidence tampering.

They have been in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River since their arrests on January 20 and 21 of this year, related to the incident that occurred August 17, 2015.

A Berkeley Township officer was summoned to the neighborhood on a report of a nine-year-old girl, running down the street, searching for her two-year-old sister.

Police found the toddler unresponsive in the pool. She was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Toms River.

After determining that McCarthy and Trella were the parents, officers entered the house, finding marijuana and heroin inside, authorities said.

They also accused McCarthy of telling her daughter to retrieve a tin believed to contain heroin while an officer was present, and accused Trella of trying to destroy marijuana during the search.

According to prosecutors, witnesses reported previous sightings of the two-year-old wandering the neighborhood without supervision. They allege that her older sister assumed many of the responsibilities in taking care of the youngster.

The Ocean County Public Defender's Office is assigned to represent McCarthy and Trella. Prosecution is under the direction of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Christine Lento.