INDIANAPOLIS — Amani Day was a healthy 2-year-old, running and playing and laughing like any other child before being found still and cold in a bed next to his grandmother one October morning.

Amani’s sudden death immediately sparked suspicion within Indy police’s child abuse unit. In the home, a distraught grandmother told police about how she tried to revive the boy when she found him unresponsive in the morning.

But investigators learned there was far more the grandma didn’t disclose. Such as her drug problem and the fact she left a purse full of illicit drugs right next to where the child rested his head.

Tasha Mulcahy, 47, faces multiple felony counts in connection to the death of her 2-year-old grandchild, Amani Day. Her charges include one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 40 years.

According to court documents, the IMPD Child Abuse Unit was called out to the home in the 400 block of E. Elbert Street on Oct. 20, 2023, to investigate the death of Amani.

Police spoke to Mulcahy, along with several others who lived at the home, and learned that she was the primary caregiver for Amani due to his mother dying from a fentanyl overdose in January 2023.

As police spoke with Mulcahy, she reportedly showed signs of “opiate intoxication,” according to the responding officer. Mulcahy had small pupils despite the gloom, police said, and was lethargic with sluggish speech. She also reportedly kept “nodding off” while speaking to officers.

Mulcahy told investigators that Amani was acting normal and running around playing with other children the night before he was found dead. Mulcahy said she, and she alone, was laying with Amani in bed and when she woke up at 11 a.m., she discovered Amani was cold and stiff and had “gotten sick onto the pillow.”

Mulcahy attempted CPR and Amani’s father even tried to give the child Narcan, an opiate reversal agent, but the child remained still.

Mulcahy denied using any narcotics the night before and said she’d only smoked marijuana. She did tell police she took Klonopin, a drug used to treat seizures and panic disorders, in the morning to calm herself down after discovering Amani.

An autopsy conducted on Amani would eventually reveal that the child died as a result of ingesting fentanyl.

In the room where the child died, police found a purse belonging to Mulcahy. The purse was sat near the bed where Mulcahy and Amani had slept. Inside the purse were various baggies and pills.

Police tested these items and discovered various drugs including psilocybin mushrooms, Alprazolam, THC and several different containers of meth.

Court records reveal that on the day Amani was found dead, Mulcahy agreed to submit to voluntary drug testing. She tested positive for several different drugs: meth, marijuana, benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin), amphetamines and buprenorphine (an opioid).

In a later interview, Mulcahy would admit to being a meth user. She also admitted that when Amani was laid in bed the night of his death, he was laid on the side of the bed closest to her purse — which contained the numerous drugs.

Charges weren’t officially filed against Mulcahy until Feb. 20. She was arrested on March 16. In April, Mulcahy posted a $5,000 cash bond and was released to home detention.

A jury trial has not yet been scheduled in her case. An attorney conference is scheduled for Aug. 27.

A booking photo for Tasha Mulcahy has not been provided.

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