Ocean County Parents Charged in Death of 3-Month-Old Baby

A Lakewood, Ocean County, couple was indicted on first-degree murder charges on Wednesday, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The couple was indicted by a grand jury in connection with the death of their three-month-old daughter on May 5 in Lakewood.

Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, both of Lakewood, have been charged with murder in connection with the death of their daughter.

An autopsy revealed the baby's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, causing hemorrhage and a skull fracture.

What the Prosecutor Says Happened

The Ocean County Prosecutor says that the Lakewood Township Police were called to the family's Laewood home at 7:20 pm on May 5th of this year. The call said the infant was having trouble breathing.

EMS personnel arrived at the scene and attempted to resuscitate the baby, who was unresponsive.

The infant was transported 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 infant died the next day in the hospital.

An autopsy on May 7 showed that the cause of the infant’s death was blunt force trauma to the head, causing fracturing and subdural hematoma.

The death was ruled a homicide.

Police determined that Santiago and Gibson – the parents of the infant – were responsible for the child’s death, and the pair was taken into custody.

They will continue to be held in the Ocean County Jail until their trials.