A three-year-old boy has died days after his aunt allegedly shoved him off Chicago’s Navy Pier into Lake Michigan.
Josiah Brown was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday morning, six days after police said surveillance footage captured his 34-year-old aunt Victoria Moreno pushing him to the end of the pier and throwing him into the water on 19 September.
Ms Moreno was subsequently arrested on charges of felony attempted first-degree murder and felony aggravated battery of a child. Those charges are likely to be updated in the wake of the boy’s death.
Authorities said Ms Moreno made no attempt to rescue the boy when he went in the water but instead stood and watched as he vomited twice and sank while witnesses struggled to get to him.
He was eventually found at the bottom of the lake by the Chicago Fire Department and was pulled from the water around the 700 block of East Grand Avenue.
He was rushed to Luri Children’s Hospital in critical condition, having suffered from a swollen brain, depressed heart, seizures and bleeding in his lungs, prosecutors said in charging documents for Ms Moreno.
The three-year-old had been in the care of his grandmother that day when his aunt snatched him from the home when the grandmother briefly went upstairs, according to authorities.
Ms Moreno initially told investigators that she was just a witness to the incident and didn’t know the boy, but later claimed he’d been “acting up” and fell into the lake when she let go of his shirt.
She has been ordered not to have any contact with her family as she awaits her next court appearance on 30 September.
According to Fox News, Ms Moreno has a history of insomnia, depression and anxiety, and is not allowed to drive because of medications she takes.
The outlet said she had previously taken her nieces without permission, but no further details were provided.
“As with any incident involving children, these are difficult circumstances. We ask that you keep the family in your thoughts,” said Area Three Deputy Chief Gabriella Shemash.
The victim’s family is now being investigated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service, said spokesman Bill McCaffrey.
He said that the department had no previous contact with the family.
In a statement, officials for Navy Pier said: “Navy Pier is deeply saddened to learn about the injury of a child pulled from the water this afternoon. We are working very closely with the Chicago Police Department as they investigate the incident. Our hearts are with the child and his loved ones.”
