Nine-year-old Alianna Maya Gomez-Alvarez died on approximately February 7, 2022, at a home in Evansville, Indiana, after enduring nearly a year of severe abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents, Jose Gomez-Alvarez and Cheyanne Porter. Surviving siblings described Alianna being deliberately starved, confined to a flooded and worm-infested basement, locked in closets and rooms, and verbally degraded. The siblings reported that the child became extremely emaciated from lack of food and eventually died of convulsions while locked in the basement. Rather than reporting the death, the parents wrapped the body in plastic and stored it in a container, eventually placing it in a storage unit in Owensboro, Kentucky, where it was discovered by police in October 2022 after witnesses reported the child missing. Kentucky's Department of Child Services had received multiple reports of abuse beginning in February 2021 but failed to conduct in-person visits or substantiate the allegations.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The Courier Press article states the surviving children "accused Gomez-Alvarez and Porter of inflicting tortuous abuse" and that the child suffered "nearly a year of abuse inflicted by Alvarez and Porter." Charges include "neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony." While the specific mechanisms of abuse described are primarily starvation and confinement, the language of "tortuous abuse" and the "serious bodily injury" charge suggest some form of direct physical harm may have occurred, though the text does not explicitly describe specific physical assaults such as hitting, punching, or kicking.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
The Courier Press article quotes the surviving child (Victim 3): "My mom never fed her... She was very, very skinny. She got skinny when my mom didn't feed her." Additionally, Victim 2 reportedly "went upstairs to sneak (Victim 1) some food," indicating the child was being deliberately deprived of food. Both surviving children "told police that Porter did not adequately feed them or their now-deceased sibling."
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The Courier Press article states: "They noted that none of the children have any vaccines because Porter didn't believe in them, and they hadn't been enrolled in school since 2019." The deliberate refusal to vaccinate the children constitutes medical neglect.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
The Courier Press article describes a prolonged pattern of deliberately cruel treatment: the surviving children "accused Gomez-Alvarez and Porter of inflicting tortuous abuse." Specific acts include intentional starvation ("My mom never fed her"), confinement ("locked in a closet," "locked in her room," locked in a flooded basement "full of worms"), forced to sleep in feces ("makes her sleep on the floor and in feces"), and verbal degradation (calling the child a "b****" and "the Devil's child"). This pattern extended over nearly a year according to police. The Fox News article adds that "Alianna was locked in a basement for an extended time when she died of convulsions."
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The Courier Press article describes the children's sleeping environment as dangerously unsafe. A DCS caller reported that Porter "makes her sleep on the floor and in feces." Victim 3 described the basement they used as a bedroom as "flooded" and "full of worms." These conditions clearly describe an unsafe sleeping environment.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Both documents consistently refer to Gomez-Alvarez and Porter as "parents" of the children. The Fox News article identifies the deceased child as "Alianna Maya Gomez-Alvarez," sharing the father's surname, strongly suggesting Jose Gomez-Alvarez is her biological father. He is directly implicated in the child's death through charges of "neglect of a dependent resulting in death" and described abuse.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Cheyanne Porter is described as a parent of the children. The surviving children explicitly call her "my mom" in the Courier Press article: "My mom killed (Victim 1) and then put her in the basement" and "My mom never fed her." Porter is charged with "neglect of a dependent resulting in death" and was described by one child as having laughed and said "We killed one of them" upon the child's death.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
The Courier Press article states that the children "hadn't been enrolled in school since 2019." This indicates the child was taken out of school and not receiving formal education.
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The Courier Press article explicitly states: "the Kentucky Department of Child Services had 'numerous' assessments on file for Porter and Gomez-Alvarez tracing back to at least February 2021, a year before their child died." Two specific DCS calls are detailed: one on Feb. 8, 2021, reporting that Porter called Victim 1 a "b****" and made her sleep in feces, and another on May 26, 2021, reporting the child was locked in her room and called "the Devil's child." The article further notes that DCS "only made contact with Porter and the children over the phone" and "never substantiated any claims."
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The Courier Press article states both parents were arrested on Oct. 3 and now face "12 additional counts in Vanderburgh County, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony." The Fox News article also confirms both "were each charged with tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse." The Courier Press adds: "Vanderburgh County Circuit Court issued a warrant for Gomez-Alvarez and Porter's arrest on Oct. 28 and ordered them to be held without bond."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
The Courier Press article details a significant child protective services failure. Despite "numerous" DCS assessments on file dating back to at least February 2021, and two specific reports detailing severe abuse (child being called slurs, forced to sleep in feces, locked in closets, not vaccinated, not enrolled in school), DCS "only made contact with Porter and the children over the phone" and "never substantiated any claims." This failure to conduct in-person follow-ups or substantiate clear warning signs occurred a full year before the child's death. Additionally, the parents concealed the death for approximately eight months, moving the body from Indiana to a storage unit in Kentucky, which allowed them to evade detection while continuing to care for (and according to the surviving children, mistreat) their other children.
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