On March 11, 2023, police responded to a medical emergency at a residence in Wilmington, Delaware, where they found a 21-to-22-month-old girl unresponsive with visible signs of physical injury throughout her body. The child's mother had left for work at 7 a.m., leaving her boyfriend, Timothy Olschafskie, alone with the child. Olschafskie claimed the child had a seizure and became unresponsive, and he stated he performed CPR before contacting the mother via FaceTime. However, surveillance footage from inside the home showed he left the unresponsive, non-breathing child alone in the living room and went into her bedroom for several minutes instead of performing CPR. The child was pronounced dead at approximately 1:30 p.m. An autopsy revealed numerous blunt force internal injuries, including lacerations to her pancreas, liver, and the membrane attaching her intestines to the outside of the stomach, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Olschafskie was charged with first-degree murder by abuse or neglect.
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 Law and Crime article describes the suspect as "viciously beating the toddler to death." The autopsy revealed "numerous blunt force internal injuries, including lacerations to her pancreas, liver, and the membrane attaching her intestines to the outside of the stomach." When first responders arrived, the child had "visible signs of physical injury throughout her body." The Delaware Online article confirms that "the 22-month-old girl had injuries visible throughout her body, an autopsy revealed they were even worse."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of 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)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the 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)?
Timothy Olschafskie was the mother's boyfriend. The Law and Crime article states he was "killing his girlfriend's 21-month-old daughter" and references the residence as belonging to "Olschafskie's then-girlfriend." He was left alone with the child when the mother went to work and is the sole person charged with the child's death.
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?
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)?
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 Law and Crime article states Timothy Olschafskie "was arrested and extradited back to Delaware on Tuesday where he is facing one count of first-degree murder by abuse or neglect in the little girl's violent death." The WWLP article confirms he was arrested at a Burger King in Enfield, Connecticut.
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?
The Law and Crime article states: "Olschafskie in 2015 was sentenced to two years in prison after he admitted to killing five cats that belonged to his then-fiancee's family in 2013." The WWLP article confirms: "Back in 2015, Olschafskie was sentenced to prison for two years for killing five cats belonging to his fiancee's family." This is a prior conviction and prison sentence separate from the current fatal incident involving the child.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. First, the Law and Crime article reports that surveillance footage from inside the home contradicted Olschafskie's account: "after Olschafskie told his girlfriend to call 911 and he was supposedly performing CPR, he actually went into the victim's bedroom — leaving her alone in the living room and not breathing for several minutes." Second, Olschafskie's prior criminal history of animal cruelty — specifically killing five cats with "blunt force trauma, bone fractures, lacerations to internal organs and skin torn from their bodies" — mirrors the pattern of blunt force trauma that killed the child, representing a documented escalation from animal cruelty to homicide. Third, Olschafskie was evasive at the scene, "initially telling authorities his name was Timothy Edwards, then telling a second officer he did not want to provide his name." These details collectively suggest consciousness of guilt, deceptive behavior, and a pattern of escalating violence.
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