11-Year-Old Johnathan Ramsey's Body Found, Parents May Be Charged With Murder
Eleven-year-old Johnathan Ramsey has been found dead in an abandoned storm shelter, police have reported. The tragic news comes after the boy was reported missing by his grandfather, who claimed he hadn't seen Johnathan in over nine months.
The case has shocked many as his parents had not reported him missing, but had continually made excuses as to why he was never seen at family events. Parents, Aaron and Elizabeth, have been charged with first-degree felony injury of a child and are currently being held on $500,000 bail.
Johnathan had not been seen by relatives in at least nine months, and his parents would only offer excuses as to why the boy was not present at family events or could not speak with his family. Since all his family lived out of state, nothing seemed amiss until recently, when Johnathan's grandfather called police to report him missing.
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That prompted police to investigate and begin searching for the boy. After a slight delay due to rain, authorities resumed their search and made the grim discovery. Johnathan's body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag and discarded in a storm shelter. He was emaciated, and now his parents are being held on charges of first-degree felony injury of a child.
As details of Johnathan's life for the past nine months unfolded, Texans were astonished at the depravity shown by his parents. Dallas News reported the following: "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."
While Elizabeth's pregnancy has not been confirmed or denied, what is known is that Aaron locked Johnathan in his bedroom and fed him only bread, water and sometimes milk. Johnathan began to starve, losing nearly 30 pounds, and at one point, eating his own excrement. He lived in this condition for nearly nine months, before succumbing to starvation.
When he died, Aaron then put Johnathan's body in a sleeping bag and disposed of it in an abandoned storm shelter. His body was discovered yesterday, and now his family is dealing with the shock and tragedy.
"There are no words. You feel like a failure. You wish you would have tried harder, faster. Grandparents have no rights," Starla Swanson, Johnathan's grandmother told Texas' News 8.
In light of Johnathan's death, Aaron and Elizabeth's charges may be increased and could include first-degree murder.
