3-month-old girl beaten to death, parents charged with murder in Lakewood
LAKEWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 3-month-old baby girl was beaten to death, allegedly by her own parents, in New Jersey.
On Monday, police were called to their home on Pinehurst Drive in Lakewood at around 7:20 p.m. for a baby having trouble breathing.
Upon arrival, the officers found the baby to be unresponsive. The infant was rushed to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township and later transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
The next day, the baby was pronounced dead.
The Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office performed a post-mortem examination that determined the baby's cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, causing fracturing and subdural hematoma. The medical examiner determined the manner of death to be homicide.
An investigation by the prosecutor's office, police, and sheriff found that the baby's parents, Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, were responsible for her death. They were arrested on May 7.
Both are now charged with murder and due back in court for a detention hearing.
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