LAKEWOOD – Authorities announced that a man responsible for the death of his three-month-old daughter will remain detained.
Ruben Santiago, 36, of Lakewood, shall remain in the Ocean County Jail pending trial on the charge of Murder in connection with the death of his infant daughter, police said.
The detention hearing for Santiago’s co-defendant, Caitlin Gibson, 28, also of Lakewood, is pending.
Around 7:20 p.m. on May 5, police arrived to a home on Pinehurst Drive regarding an infant having difficulty breathing. Officers found the infant to be unresponsive and EMS personnel and immediately began to administer medical attention.
The child was brought 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.
The following day, the infant was pronounced deceased at JSUMC, authorities said.
On May 7, a post-mortem examination of the infant determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head causing fracturing and subdural hematoma, and the manner of death to be homicide, police said.
Authorities determined that Santiago and Gibson – parents of the infant – were responsible for the child’s death. Both were taken into custody at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters and were subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail where they remained since apprehension.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
