Update, April 1: If you've read this morning's paper, you know this story is even more disturbing than initially thought. Update after the original:
Original item, Saturday, March 31: It was only yesterday that Edward Ramsey called Dallas police, concerned about the whereabouts of his 11-year-old grandson, Johnathan Ramsey. But by this afternoon, the Dallas Police Department says, its detectives had already determined that the boy was dead and arrested the boy's dad and step-mom for causing injury to a child, a felony.
According to a brief police statement sent to media this afternoon, investigators are searching an area in Ellis County for the boy's remains. Aaron Ramsey, 34, and his 31-year-old wife, Elizabeth Ramsey, gave conflicting statements to detectives about the boy's whereabouts, DPD says. WFAA reports that the boy's father told detectives that he dumped the boy's body a year ago.
Fox4 reports that the boy's grandfather told police he hadn't seen the boy in nine months or longer. His biological mother lives out of state, and police have spoken with her.
Records show that the couple lives in this home near Greenville Avenue and Royal Lane in northeast Dallas:
Update, April 1: The News tracked down records that detail the story the boy's parents told detectives -- the story that sent the search to Ellis County. It's disturbing, to the say the least. Here's the gist:
Aaron Ramsey told police that Johnathan began behaving violently early last year. He said the boy's behavior escalated until he punched his stepmother in the stomach, causing Elizabeth, who was pregnant with triplets, to have a miscarriage. He told detectives that he hit the boy in the chest, and then decided to lock him in a bedroom.From that point, the boy apparently never escaped the bedroom.
Aaron Ramsey told police that the boy was fed only bread, water and sometimes milk. He said Johnathan slowly withered from 90 pounds to 60 pounds from March to August last year. He told detectives that he saw the boy "eat his own feces," according to police records.
When the boy finally died, Aaron Ramsey told police, he slipped his son into a sleeping bag and dumped the body. Read the full story for more. Or, if you want to preserve your Sunday, don't.
