Lakewood Parents Charged With Murder For Death Of Infant Daughter
Thursday, May 8, 2025, 1:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
LAKEWOOD, NJ.- On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlan Gibson, 28, both of Lakewood, New Jersey, were taken into custody and charged with Murder in connection with the tragic death of their three-month-old daughter that occurred on Monday, May 5, 2025, inside their Lakewood, New Jersey home.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Monday, May 5, 2025, just shortly before 7:30 p.m., members of the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a three-month-girl having difficulty breathing at a residence located on Pinehurst Drive in the Township.
Police Officers Find Infant Unresponsive
Upon arrival, Police Officers and First Responders found the baby girl unresponsive. Lakewood Township Emergency Medical Services immediately administered life-saving measures to the infant.
The infant was immediately transported to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township and later transported to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey, where, despite life-saving efforts, the baby girl was tragically pronounced deceased the following day, on May 6, 2025.
Medical Examiner Determines The Infant Died Of Head Injuries
On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on the baby and determined that the Cause of Death was blunt-force trauma to the head, causing fracturing and subdural hematoma, and the Manner of Death Homicide.
A subsequent investigation by Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Special Victims Unit, with the assistance of the Lakewood Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, determined that Santiago and Gibson, the parents of the baby girl, were responsible for causing the baby’s death.
Accordingly, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Santiago and Gibson were taken into custody and each charged with first-degree Murder. They were processed on the charges and remanded to the Ocean County Jail pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion with the court to have Santiago and Gibson detained pending trial.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
