Background: The neighborhood in Round Lake Beach, Ill., where Dominique Servant’s son was found unresponsive on Feb. 6 (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Dominique Servant and Joey Ruffin (Lake County Sheriff’s Office).
In a tragic case unfolding in Illinois, an 8-year-old boy has died after being discovered unresponsive by his mother and her boyfriend, with charges of murder now brought against the pair.
Dominique Servant, 32, and her partner Joey Ruffin, 38, were apprehended following the arrival of emergency responders at their Round Lake Beach residence. This was after a distress call was made regarding an unresponsive child. The young boy, identified as Servant’s son, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was later declared dead. Investigators reported that the child exhibited signs of prolonged abuse and malnutrition.
During their initial court hearing on Sunday, prosecutors unveiled further insights into the alleged events leading to the boy’s tragic demise, implicating those who were supposed to care for him.
As reported by the Daily Herald, prosecutors claimed Servant and Ruffin had physically abused the boy with a belt and had been withholding food in the days preceding his death. On that fateful Friday afternoon, the couple reportedly found the child unconscious and attempted to revive him with CPR before contacting emergency services at 2 p.m.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis revealed that Servant had informed police about witnessing Ruffin strike her son the day prior. Additionally, she disclosed that the child had been subjected to a liquid diet starting February 4.
The autopsy results allegedly indicated the presence of widespread bruising and signs of malnutrition on the young boy’s body.
In a press release on Facebook, the Round Lake Police said the boy had been the target of “long-term neglect, physical abuse, and mental abuse.” During Sunday’s court appearance, Lewis said Servant told authorities that the couple would make the boy hold weights over his head for extended periods of time as punishment.
Police said a 10-year-old girl living in the home was also showing signs of “abuse and malnourishment.” She and a 3-year-old boy were removed from the home and placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Servant and Ruffin were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of child endangerment causing death. They were ordered to be held in the Lake County Jail without bond until their court appearance on Monday.
In a follow-up post on Facebook, Round Lake Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said the case had “shaken us to our core.” He added, “There are simply no words that can fully capture the heartbreak we feel as parents, neighbors, friends, and as a police department. 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.”
