St. Louis police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy who was found unconscious and covered in bruises, KSDK-TV reports.
Medics responded to a report of a child struck by a vehicle on the afternoon of December 10, and when they arrived, they found Shanice Moore holding her son, Emmanuel Ware, according to KTVI-TV.
Ware was not breathing and had bruises throughout his body. He was rushed to an area hospital and later pronounced dead.
Moore told KSDK-TV in an interview that the man she is dating, who is not the boy’s father, had been watching him for several hours at a friend’s house.
When she returned home, she told the television station that her son was unconscious and that her boyfriend asserted the child had been struck by a vehicle.
Moore told the television station that she initially believed the story from her boyfriend, who she said had a “good” relationship with the boy. But Moore says she has now come to understand there was no incident with a vehicle.
“He told me he got hit, you know, and apparently that never happened, but I had to tell the police something because they were asking me what’s going on and I’m like ‘I don’t know. But this is what he told me,’” Moore told KSDK-TV.
She added: “I really don’t know how to feel because I just want the real story.”
The medical examiner’s office ruled Ware’s death a homicide, and KSDK-TV reports that police are investigating Moore in connection with the boy’s death.
Ware’s relatives told KMOV-TV they want justice for the child, who turned 3 years old in September. His grandmother, Wanda Lee, described Ware as a “fun-loving child, always happy,” according to the television station.
“A human being should never be treated like that. No reason, and all I want is justice, that’s all I want,” Lee told KMOV-TV. “I want justice to be served. It don’t make no sense. It’s senseless.”
The police department’s child abuse and homicide divisions are handling the investigation. To report information about the case, call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
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[Feature Photo: Emmanuel Wade/Facebook]
