A New Jersey couple has been charged with murder following the brutal death of their 3-month-old daughter. Ruben Santiago and Caitlin Gibson, aged 36 and 28, respectively, allegedly beat the infant girl to death with a force comparable to a vehicle crash, according to the medical examiner.
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According to a release issued by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident occurred on May 5, 2025. At around 7:20 p.m., Lakewood Township Police Department officers responded to a Pinehurst Drive residence. They had received a report of a 3-month-old not breathing.
Upon arrival, responding officers found the infant girl unresponsive. EMS services arrived at the scene shortly after and administered medical attention to the baby. She was transported to a local hospital and then to a pediatric intensive care unit. On May 6, tragically, the 3-month-old was pronounced deceased.
A day later, a post-mortem examination was performed on the baby’s body. It was determined that her cause of death was blunt force trauma, with the infant girl suffering from a skull fracture and subdural hematoma. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Blunto Force Trauma
As reported by the New York Post, citing prosecutors, Santiago and Gibson told police that the baby had begun vomiting and having diarrhea on May 3. The infant was taken to a local hospital on May 4 but was discharged later in the day.
Santiago then told authorities that he had found the baby unresponsive after changing her diaper on May 5. Allegedly, Santiago first told officers that he had dropped a bottle on his daughter’s head. Then, however, he claimed the girl slipped from his hands as he was removing her from her bouncer, hitting her head as a result, prosecutors said.
However, the medical examiner shared a disturbing revelation. The blunt force trauma the baby suffered was so immense that, in terms of force, it was comparable to a “significant motor vehicle crash,” an affidavit cited by The Post said.
Authorities determined that Ruben Santiago and Caitlin Gibson were responsible for their daughter’s death. Both of them were taken into custody on May 7, and they were charged with murder. They remain in jail and will be held until their trial, which is yet to be scheduled.