Prosecutors want youth charged as adult in Bluffton case

BLUFFTON, Ind. (AP) – Prosecutors want a 16-year-old northeastern Indiana youth to face adult charges in connection with the death of a young boy whose body the youth is accused of helping to dump in a wooded area.

Wells County prosecutors will ask a judge during a Feb. 6 hearing to waive the Bluffton youth to adult court to face charges in the death of the child who’s presumed to be 3-year-old Owen Collins. A coroner hasn’t yet released an autopsy report identifying the child.

The boy’s mother and her boyfriend face neglect and other charges following the death two weekends ago. Court documents say the child ingested methamphetamine in a drink.

Prosecutors want the youth to face adult charges including neglect, obstruction of justice, altering a crime scene and abuse of a corpse.