ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Jamarion Delancy was blind, developmentally disabled and needed braces to walk. Last week, the 5-year-old boy was beaten to death while his mother was away giving birth to her third child.
Detectives were so shaken by the crime that they've taken the unusual step to raise money for his funeral.
The St. Louis County Police Association has organized a fundraiser for the family of Jamarion Delancy. The mother's boyfriend is charged in the death and jailed in lieu of a quarter-million dollar bond.
Jamarion had special needs, was blind and had limited mobility requiring him to have braces on his legs. The boy "had no way to defend himself against the suspect's attack," the police association said.
The association represents nearly 1,000 men and women of the St. Louis County Police Department, including officers and civilians. It started a fundraiser through GoFundMe to raise money for the boy's funeral and to cover other expenses for the family.
The group has done fundraisers before — but sparingly, said Joe Patterson, executive director of the police association. Patterson is a retired detective.
"This case was so egregious and sad," Patterson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday.
"Unfortunately detectives who handle these types of crimes see this level of violence on a daily basis," Patterson said, "but when it involves a child who is blind, developmentally disabled and can only walk using braces, it was extremely devastating for these detectives."
Jamarion's mother, Aunyae, was hospitalized Tuesday after she went into labor with her third child. Her 7-year-old daughter and her son Jamarion were left in the care of her boyfriend in the family's small apartment in North County.
Jamarion was brought to the hospital the next morning and died of his injuries.
"Jamarion's death has left an impact on the members of the St. Louis County Police Department and we feel compelled to do more, especially at a time of year when families typically gather and celebrate the holidays," the police association said.
"We feel for Aunyae at this incredibly difficult time where she has to bring a baby home from the hospital, while planning her son's funeral and also trying to care for (the sister) who was in the apartment when this horrible act occurred — all with extremely limited resources."
Yoshuah Dallas, 24, is charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death. An autopsy ruled that the 5-year-old boy for whom Dallas was caring died Wednesday of blunt force trauma, authorities said. The charge is a felony, punishable by up to life in prison.
Court records list no attorney representing Dallas.
Dallas and the boy both lived in unincorporated north St. Louis County. The police officers group said Dallas was the mother's boyfriend.
Dallas brought the unresponsive 5-year-old to St. Louis Children's Hospital Wednesday, and the boy died soon after. Dallas admitted being the sole caretaker for the boy, authorities said.
According to an autopsy, the boy died of blunt trauma to the abdomen resulting in a lacerated liver and a broken rib, and he also had bruising around his mouth.
In addition the charge of abuse or neglect of a child, a Class A felony, Dallas is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held on a $250,000, cash-only bond.
The fundraiser through GoFundMe had brought in about $21,500 by Monday afternoon. Patterson said they will cap the fundraiser at $25,000.
