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A New Jersey couple was indicted last week on murder charges for the death of their 3-month-old daughter earlier this year.
An Ocean County grand jury handed down the indictment on Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, on Wednesday, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The office said that police officers responded to call about an infant having trouble breathing on May 5. Medical personnel, who responded after police, rendered aid before taking the child to University Medical Center in Brick Township and later to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The baby died the next day.
An autopsy determined the infant’s cause of death os blunt force trauma to the head and the manner was homicide. The autopsy found seven broken ribs and a fractured wrist, “both of which began the healing stages indicating past traumatic injury,” according to The Patch.
Ocean County Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Rouse described the baby’s injuries as “devastating” and “sustained from substantial force, compared to the level of force experienced by a significant motor vehicle crash,” a probable cause affidavit said.
Gibson and Santiago were arrested after the autopsy was completed in May. Gibson refused to speak with investigators, but Santiago had several explanations for the infant’s injuries. He said he dropped a glass bottle on the child’s head on May 5, then said he dropped her while picking her up from a bouncer. He said the little girl hit her head on the metal support of the bouncer, or maybe it was the TV stand.
Gibson and Santiago have been held in the Ocean County jail without bond since their arrests. It’s not clear when they will appear in court.