Stepfather of 12-year-old girl found dead in Enfield home accused of sexually assaulting her

An Enfield man was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting his 12-year-old stepdaughter, who later died, according to an arrest warrant.

Anthony Federline, 39, was charged with sexual assault in the first degree and risk of injury to a child.

On the morning of March 18, police were called to a home in Enfield for an unresponsive 12-year-old female. When they arrived, they found the girl’s mother, her 17-year-old brother, and her stepfather, who was identified as Federline, the warrant stated.

The child was found on the floor of her bedroom with a blanket over the lower half of her body and “lividity on her face, legs, and arms, and rigor mortis had set in.” She also had blood and fluids coming from her nose, according to the arrest warrant.

Federline told police that the 12-year-old had “POTS,” was autistic, and was in the process of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the warrant stated.

The child’s mother told police that she tried to knock on her daughter’s locked door to wake her up and became worried when she didn’t respond. The mother then used a butter knife to open the door and said she found her face down on the floor, tried to turn her over, saw her face, then ran to her husband for help, according to the warrant.

Two pills — one red/pink and the other clear with white powder inside — were found near the door of the child’s bedroom. One white Aspirin pill was found on a desk in the room, and another tablet was on the bed. There was also a laptop open on the bedroom floor, with what appeared to be a YouTube webpage open, the warrant stated.

After the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner observed the child’s body, a sexual assault kit was performed before her autopsy, which took swabs from the child’s genitals and other areas of her body, according to the warrant.

The results of the sexual assault kit indicated that there was male DNA in areas of the child’s body. The medical examiner also said she observed signs of vaginal penetration but could not tell who or what caused it, the warrant stated.

Investigators then decided to ask the child’s mother if they could do a DNA buccal swab of her and her three other children, two of whom are minors. Federline also consented to having his DNA swabbed, according to the warrant.

After he consented, Federline said he was upset because it felt like he was putting “salt in the wound,” according to the warrant.

The results of the DNA swabs indicated that Federline’s DNA was likely to be on the child, the warrant stated.

The medical examiner is still investigating the cause and manner of the 12-year-old’s death and is waiting for toxicology test results.

Federline is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in Hartford Superior Court on Monday.

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