By: Richard L. Smith
A Lakewood couple has been charged with murder following the tragic death of their 3-month-old daughter, according to information released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday.
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Ruban Santiago, 36, and Caitlin M. Gibson, 28, were arrested on Wednesday and are currently being held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River as they await a detention hearing.
Authorities said that around 7:20 p.m. Monday, Lakewood police responded to a 911 call reporting an infant in distress who was struggling to breathe.
When officers arrived, they found the baby unresponsive.
Emergency medical personnel provided immediate care before transporting the child to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick.
She was later transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was pronounced dead on Tuesday.
According to the prosecutor’s office, an autopsy performed on Wednesday by the Ocean County Medical Examiner revealed the baby had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head, resulting in multiple skull fractures and a subdural hematoma.
Following a joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Lakewood Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Santiago and Gibson were determined to be responsible for the infant’s death, the prosecutor’s office said.