By Shereen Siewert

A plea agreement appears to be in the works for a former Wausau-area man whose 5-year-old child died 10 days after being hospitalized for a skull fracture and brain bleed.

Both parents of the child are facing criminal charges with death of the child, who tested positive for having alcohol in her system, according to court filings. The couple adopted the child just six weeks before she died.

Of the two parents the child’ mother, 37-year-old Sumitra Stolp, is facing the most serious charges including first-degree reckless homicide, neglecting a child, chronic neglect of a child and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer.

Her husband, 40-year-old Jonathan Stolp, faces charges of neglecting a child, chronic neglect of a child and resisting or obstructing an officer. Jonathan Stolp, who previously listed a Weston address, now lives in Baldwin and is free on a $7,500 cash bond. Court records show a plea hearing is now on the calendar in Marathon County.

In a 12-page criminal complaint, police lay out a case against the child’s parents, whose stories changed multiple times while speaking with investigators. Initially, the child’s parents told police they took the girl to the park to play, when she fell and landed on her head. Hours later, the couple said, they awoke to find their daughter having a seizure and called for an ambulance. SAFER responded and transported the girl to Marshfield Medical Center, where doctors had her transported to Marshfield for further treatment based on her condition.

In a later interview with police, both parents said they gave the girl medicine to ease her cough but denied giving her anything to aid in sleep. Later, they allegedly told police they realized they had given the child a double dose of liquid Tylenol PM, and admitted giving the girl “a little bit” of Nyquil, a night time cold medicine for adults “a couple times when she really, really isn’t sleeping,” court documents state.

Sumi Stolp’s story continued to change as she spoke with investigators.

In a subsequent interview, Sumi Stolp told police she was rocking the child in a recliner and the child “threw herself back” and fell to the floor. But later, she allegedly told police she got out of the recliner holding the girl, tripped and fell with the girl. Sumi Stolp also admitted she lied about the child falling in the park, court documents show.

But pediatric specialists in Marshfield said the child had a significant skull fracture that wrapped around both sides of the skull, injuries that appeared consistent with a non-accidental trauma such as shaking or slamming a child. The girl also had a fractured right foot, according to the doctor’s report.

Police say the girl was given six times the recommended dose of Tylenol, which can be toxic, along with the Nyquil, which contains 10 percent alcohol.

Sumitra Stolp’s case is still pending with a status conference set for Nov. 16.

Jonathan Stolp is due to appear Nov. 10 for a plea hearing in Marathon County Circuit Court. He faces more than nine years in prison if he is convicted on the felony charges alone. Details surrounding the agreement have not been released.