When Detective Laurie Reilly, of the Lake County Sheriff's Department Special Victims Unit, interviewed Fowler's oldest son, the boy told her Jayla reached under the pillow, grabbed the gun and shot herself in the head. The boy said he was sleeping when Jayla grabbed the gun, and that his mother told him that it was a “BB gun.”

Police don't think that version of events would have been possible, court records show.

"Based on the weight of the weapon and lack of stippling, I do not believe that Jayla shot herself," Jones concluded in the affidavit.

Jones said based on the toddler's head wound, the barrel of the weapon would have had to be at least two to three feet away when fired. The detective also said the weapon, a Kel-Tec P-32 semi-automatic handgun, would have been difficult for a 2-year-old to pull the trigger.

"Third, the gunshot wound to the forehead was perfectly centered," Jones reported.

The charges

Fowler, 22, of Gary, was charged Thursday in Lake Criminal Court with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, and three counts of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony, Gary Police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said in a news release.