Child Abuse: 1-Year-Old California Toddler Dies, 2 Including Mother Arrested

A man in Visalia, California, was arrested Tuesday (June 9) in connection with the abuse of a 1-year-old child that left the baby “clinically” dead. The man was taken into custody days after the toddler’s mother was arrested in connection with child abuse.

According to local reports, deputies responded to a motel Friday (June 5) night after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. The officers found the toddler with multiple severe injuries and rushed the child to Valley Children's Hospital.

Following medical tests, the doctors declared the child “clinically” dead as the toddler’s brain wasn’t functioning.

Sgt. Celeste Sanchez told local media that the toddler remained on life support while "donor options are determined.”

Investigation revealed that the mother of the child, identified as 18-year-old Jasmine Blasé, and a man, 23-year-old Ezequiel Ramirez, had abused the child, causing severe injuries including head trauma and multiple bone fractures.

The mother was taken into custody Saturday and charged with one count of child abuse causing great bodily injury. She remained in jail.

Meanwhile, Ramirez, who was on the run, was taken into custody Tuesday. He was charged with one count of homicide and a parole violation in connection with another case. The man was booked into the Tulare County Jail and was denied bail. The relationship between Blasé and Ramirez was not known.

Investigation was ongoing and anyone with any information was asked to call Detective Morgantini at 713-4104.

The incident comes a month after a man in Salem, Alabama, was arrested for striking his 1-month-old daughter in face and head. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home after receiving a report that a baby was found with bruises on her head and face area. The infant was rushed to a hospital. Investigation revealed that the infant suffered injuries after she was struck in the face and head by her father, 19-year-old Ty Allen Mason. He was arrested and charged with torture and willful abuse of a child. The father was held in the Lee County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.