ROUND LAKE BEACH, an 8-year-old boy in Illinois died after being found unresponsive, and prosecutors allege his mother and her boyfriend subjected him to severe abuse and neglect before his death.
Dominique Servant, 32, and her boyfriend, Joey Ruffin, 38, were arrested Friday after first responders were called to their home in Round Lake Beach following a report of an unresponsive child. The boy, Servant’s 8-year-old son, was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said the child showed signs of long-term abuse and malnourishment.
During the couple’s initial court appearance Sunday, prosecutors outlined allegations surrounding the boy’s death. According to courtroom reporting by the Daily Herald, prosecutors said Servant and Ruffin beat the child with a belt and deprived him of food in the days leading up to his death.
Prosecutors said that on Friday afternoon, Servant and Ruffin found the boy unconscious. Ruffin attempted CPR before the couple called 911 around 2 p.m.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis told the court that Servant admitted to police she had seen Ruffin punch her son the day before his death. Lewis also said Servant told investigators the boy had been placed on a liquid-only diet beginning February 4.
An autopsy allegedly revealed bruising across the boy’s body and evidence of malnourishment.
In a Facebook press release, the Round Lake Police Department said the child had been subjected to “long-term neglect, physical abuse, and mental abuse.” Prosecutors further alleged that as punishment, the couple forced the boy to hold weights over his head for extended periods.
Police also reported that a 10-year-old girl living in the home showed signs of abuse and malnourishment. She and a 3-year-old boy were removed from the residence and placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Servant and Ruffin have each been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of child endangerment causing death. They were ordered held without bond in the Lake County Jail pending their next court appearance.
In a follow-up Facebook post, Round Lake Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said the case had “shaken us to our core.”
“There are simply no words that can fully capture the heartbreak we feel as parents, neighbors, friends, and as a police department,” Rodriguez wrote. “When a precious child is taken from us in such a way, it is natural to feel anger. It is natural to feel confusion. It is natural to ask why.”
