By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on September 10, Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, both of Lakewood, were indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on the charge of Murder in connection with the death of their three-month-old daughter on May 5, in Lakewood.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that on May 5, at approximately 7:20 p.m., officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to a residence on Pinehurst Drive for a report of a three-month-old infant having difficulty breathing.
Responding Officers found the infant to be unresponsive, Ocean County officials said.
According to Ocean County officials, Lakewood Township Emergency Medical Services personnel subsequently arrived on scene and immediately began to administer medical attention to the infant.
The infant was transported to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township and later transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune, OCPO officias stated.
Ocean County authorities say that on May 6, the infant was pronounced deceased at JSUMC, and then on May 7, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office performed a post-mortem examination of the infant.
The examination determined that the cause of the infant’s death was blunt force trauma to the head causing fracturing and subdural hematoma, and the manner of death to be homicide, OCPO officials said.
A thorough investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that Santiago and Gibson - parents of the infant - were responsible for the child’s death.
Ocean County officials stated that on May 7, both Santiago and Gibson were taken into custody at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters.
They were subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they have been detained since that date, OCPO officials say