A New Jersey couple has been charged with the murder of their 3-month-old daughter after prosecutors said a medical examiner found the infant suffered "devastating" blunt-force injuries.
Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin M. Gibson, 28, were indicted Wednesday by Ocean County prosecutors on murder charges in connection with the child's death, authorities said. The infant, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital in early May and died the following morning.
Prosecutors said the couple called 911 at 7:20 p.m. on May 5 to report an unresponsive baby who was having trouble breathing. Police interviewed the parents at the hospital; prosecutors said the baby had begun vomiting and having diarrhea on May 3 and had been taken to a hospital on May 4, where she received intravenous fluids and was discharged.
Medical staff discovered the infant had brain bleeding, seven broken ribs and a fractured wrist, prosecutors said. The death was later ruled a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head that produced a skull fracture and a subdural hematoma.
An affidavit filed by investigators quoted the medical examiner as saying the infant's injuries were "devastating" and "sustained from substantial force, compared to the level of force experienced by a significant motor vehicle crash," according to prosecutors.
Authorities said Santiago initially told investigators he dropped a glass bottle on the child's head but later changed his account, saying the baby slipped from his hands while he was removing her from a bouncer. He also suggested the child may have hit her head on the bouncer's metal support or against a television stand, prosecutors said. Prosecutors did not indicate that those explanations were supported by medical findings.
Both parents were arrested on May 7, according to court records. Prosecutors said Gibson is being held until trial on charges she fatally abused the infant; both defendants remain in custody and are scheduled to appear before a judge. No trial date has been set.
Investigators continue to review medical records and statements gathered during the hospital interviews, Ocean County prosecutors said. The charges mark the latest in a series of criminal cases in which authorities have pursued murder or abuse charges after medical examiners determined severe injuries to very young children were not accidental.
The case will proceed through Ocean County's court system as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for pretrial proceedings. Prosecutors said they declined to release the infant's name in keeping with standard practices in cases involving young children.