A toddler has died after his aunt apparently pushed him into a lake and watched him suffer for 30 minutes. Josiah 'JoJo' Brown, three, sadly lost his life on September, 25 after he plunged into Lake Michigan, USA six days before his death, the Daily Star reports.
After nearly a week of battling his horrific injuries which included a swollen brain, a depressed heart, seizures and bleeding in his lungs, the three year old passed away at around 10am local time. The boy's aunt, Victoria Moreno, 32 said she had taken Josiah out for the day on the rides when she allegedly pushed him into the water at Chicago's popular Navy Pier, with no eye witnesses around.
It's been reported that Josiah was seized from his grandmother's home in Des Plaines after his mother had dropped him off earlier that day. Moreno has a history of mental illness, having been tied to insomnia, depression and anxiety in the past and she has been known to "snatch her nieces away in ‘pseudo-kidnappings’".
On Monday, security footage emerged showed a woman believed to be Moreno pushing her nephew off the famous pier and then watching as he struggled to survive for 30 minutes, MailOnline reports. He allegedly vomited twice in the water before eventually sinking – all while she allegedly watched – before being collected by divers.
Josiah was seen “floating on his back and just looking up at the sky, his head was the only thing that was bobbing above the water,” a witness told the Chicago Sun-Times. Moreno initially denied knowing the child but then later said he had been “acting up” and fell into the water, which has been sitting at around the 16C mark recently.
She said she had taken him there so he could go on rides but has since been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child under the age of 13. Messages of loss and support for his parents have been flooding in.
“So sorry for your loss. he’s forever an angel. rest easy little one..he’s always going to be with you and your family,” said one. Another added: “This beautiful baby so innocent and precious may he be cared for now by God and angels I’m praying for you”.
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