RESERVE - A couple is facing murder and cruelty charges after officers found a 4-month-old girl dead and a toddler badly abused inside a home in south Louisiana.

The St. John The Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office said the infant was found lifeless in her bed after law enforcement got a call Tuesday morning about an unresponsive child at a home in Reserve. They also found a 13-month-old boy with obvious signs of neglect and physical abuse.

The parents, 24-year-old Angel Taylor and 31-year-old Chevy Lafountain, were taken into custody on charges of child desertion and cruelty to juveniles with force/violence. 

On Wednesday, an autopsy of the girl revealed she died from a combination of "starvation, malnutrition, dehydration, severe neglect and child abuse," according to the sheriff's office. The couple was additionally charged with second-degree murder as a result. 

"During interviews with Taylor and Lafountain, detectives determined their statements were inconsistent with the infant’s physical state and both appeared unremorseful for their actions that led to their daughter’s death and their son’s current physical condition and their living conditions," the department said in a statement. 

The surviving child has since been placed in state custody.