Racine boy killed, family holds fundraiser for funeral expenses
Boy killed, fundraiser for funeral expenses
Support for the family of Joriel Ramirez, a 1-year-old Racine boy who died from severe head injuries last month, poured in on Saturday.
MILWAUKEE - Support for the family of Joriel Ramirez, a 1-year-old Racine boy who died from severe head injuries last month, poured in on Saturday.
Funeral fundraiser
What they're saying:
Family members held a fundraiser in South Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon, hoping to raise money for the toddler's funeral arrangements.
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"It's overwhelming, not that I didn't expect people to come, but it feels really good. Seeing that people support and love my son. I wish he could've saw it," said Jorge Angel Ramirez, Joriel's father.
"A lot of people have come out to help, we are so grateful," said Silvia Arechiga, Joriel's grandmother. "We still have lots of questions that cause a lot of hurt for us."
Fundraiser to help with funeral costs for 1-year-old Joriel Ramirez's family
Boy dead, man charged
The backstory:
The boy was brought to a local hospital, then flown to Children's Wisconsin with significant head trauma, on May 18. Despite life-saving efforts, he died on May 27 – just a few months shy of his 2nd birthday.
Investigators determined the 1-year-old's injuries – which included not only head trauma, but internal lacerations and bruising – were "consistent with child physical abuse," according to court filings.
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The Racine County District Attorney's Office charged 28-year-old Jordan Keith with first-degree reckless homicide. A criminal complaint said Keith was dating the boy's mother and lived with them.
Court records show Keith is being held in jail on $100,000 cash bond, and he's due back in court for a preliminary hearing on June 10.
Joriel Ramirez (photo provided by family)
Dig deeper:
Through interviews and a review of surveillance footage from the boy's day care and outside the home, the complaint said investigators determined the 1-year-old was "acting normally with no indications of injury" when he was left in Keith's care for approximately 20 minutes. When the boy's mother returned, he was unresponsive.
Police interviewed Keith. Court filings said he initially claimed he was not home alone with the boy that day, but later admitted he was when confronted about the surveillance video. He denied hurting the boy, and said he was asleep when he woke up to the boy screaming.
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX6 News interviews with the family, as well as the Racine Police Department, Racine County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.