MIDVALE, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Probable cause statements filed in 3rd District Court are providing new insights into the death of an infant on Friday at a Midvale Motel 6.
The child’s parents, 21-year-old Jose Alejandro Ramirez and 20-year-old Jessica Marie Lujan, have both been booked into the Salt Lake County jail on charges of child abuse — homicide, a first-degree felony.
Nearly identical probable cause statements filed for Lujan and Ramirez reveal when the 4-month-old boy was found by law enforcement officials, he had visible injuries, including “several bruises in varying stages of healing.”
Police were already at the motel site, at 7263 S. Catalpa St., on an unrelated case when they were alerted to a 911 call coming from Room 113.
They rushed to the room, where the infant, identified in court papers as J.R., was found not breathing, and in cardiac arrest, the probable cause statements say. The infant’s maternal grandfather was also in the room, the statement indicates.
“UPD Officers began life saving efforts but could not get a pulse on the child. Medics with Unified Fire Authority responded on scene and pronounced the child as deceased.
“The deceased child had several visible external injuries. The child has bruising on the bridge of his nose going up to his forehead. The child has bruising on the left ocular cavity, bruising on the left forehead going towards the back of the left ear, and bruising on his left cheek bone. The child also has an abrasion or possible laceration on the left side of the child’s neck. The child’s bone structure is visible on the outside of his person.
“During the course of the interview, J.L. (Jessica Lujan) admits to striking the child J.R. because she had a fight with the father, Jose Ramirez, and because the child was screaming and she became angry. She admitted to striking him several times and scratching him with her fingernails. She then states that she placed the child J.R. into his car seat, upside down.”
Lujan then went to sleep and Ramirez took over care of the child, the statement says. Lujan woke up at 3 a.m., she said, “when she heard the father Jose Ramirez trying to quiet the child after some noises.” Lujan told detectives she next woke up at about noon, and found J.R. unconscious and not breathing.
Ramirez told police “he both heard and witnessed the infant’s mother throw the infant into the car seat upside down. He then took over the infant’s care while the mother went to sleep,” according to the probable cause statement.
“Jose Ramirez stated that during the time he was caring for the child he did not call 911 despite having several options for doing so to get help for the now unresponsive child.”
Ramirez said that when the infant fell asleep, he placed the child back into the car seat and went to sleep himself.
He said the next day he was awakened and “made aware that the child was unresponsive but stated that he did not call 911, instead he began CPR.”
Ramirez said a call to 911 was eventually made by the child’s mother, although “she did not speak with 911, setting the phone down and leaving the room. Jose Ramirez picked up the phone and spoke with 911. He then remained on scene until help arrived.”
Lujan and Ramirez were booked into jail and are each being held on $500,000 bail.
Sgt. Melody Gray, Unified Police Department spokeswoman, told Gephardt Daily on Saturday that a second child, a 3-year-old, also was in the room, and is now in the care of Child Protective Services. Gray said she believes the child is a female.
Gray told Gephardt Daily on Friday that the parents are from Utah, and were not just passing through the state.
Gephardt Daily will have more information on this story as it becomes available.
