Neighbors hold vigil after baby dies

TROY, Ohio (WDTN) - A Miami County couple was taken to jail, after police found their 8-month son dead, inside their apartment.

 Police said the call for help came from Hilltop Drive at about 11:45 AM on Monday morning, by Tara Durig, the baby's mother.

Police charged Tara Durig and her husband Jason with child endangering and took them into custody.

Neighbors gathered outside the home at 9 PM on Monday, to honor the memory of Caleb Durig.

They brought stuffed toys, candles, and flowers. Right behind the makeshift memorial, was the bright glow of crime scene tape, a harsh reality of what had happened inside the apartment that day.

Many of the people gathered outside the home for the vigil had never even met baby Caleb before.

Amber Temple organized the memorial service after hearing about the tragedy. She said Caleb's story broke her heart.

"8 months old, I think about it and I want to cry. I want to cry now," said Temple, a mother of two children.

Baby Caleb's mother and father were mourning on Monday night, inside their jail cells.

Police said prosecutors approved charges against the couple based on what they found inside the apartment, but declined to release details.

Court records indicated that it was not the first time Durig was in trouble with the law.

In 2007, court documents showed Durig was charged with Child Abuse and Endangering, involving another one of his children.

Neighbors told 2 News the couple kept to themselves, but they could not ignore the noise coming from Apartment 2.

"It's pathetic that I can sit outside and hear that baby cry for three hours. 2-3 hours on end, while they're sitting outside with their doors closed. Doors, blinds, everything closed. No baby monitors nothing," said Kelly Bruner.

Another neighbor Meagan Jones said she heard Tara Durig complaining about how much her baby cried, on Sunday night.

"They were outside smoking cigarettes, and the last comment I heard Tara make the last time I saw her last night was, I'm sick and tired of Caleb's crying. Something needs to be done about it," said Jones.

Many neighbors told us they felt guilty, becacuse they had never spoken up, and tried to help baby Caleb.

"If you see something that's not right, if you see someone struggling, we need to be responsible and help them, there are many places you can call," said one neighbor, during the vigil.

Neighbors also wanted to know why was the couple had been allowed to keep the 8-month old baby, after being accused of hurting another child 3 years ago.

"Miami County Children's Services should have been involved. No matter what, they should have been involved with that," said Bruner.

2 News contacted Miami County Children's Services to ask them those questions, but we were told their Public Information Officer would be gone for a week or two, so they could not answer our questions.

2 News will keep trying to get answers from Children's services about this case.

Meantime, Troy police were parked right outside the apartment on Monday night, protecting the property until a search warrant could be served.

Stay with 2 News for the latest updates on this tragic story.