An Illinois pathologist has announced the death of a Cook County toddler, who, according to family, was pushed off the Navy Pier into Lake Michigan by his mentally ill aunt after she reportedly abducted him.
On Monday, Sept. 26, the Cook County Medical Examiner released the news that 3-year-old Josiah Brown has died after suffering from cardiac arrest and severe brain damage, caused by being submerged under water for 30 minutes on Monday, Sept. 19, according to a Today.com report, around 1 p.m. on Sept. 19 in the 700 block of E. Grand Ave in Chicago, which is located close to the Navy Pier.
Brown was pronounced dead at the hospital on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 10:16 a.m.
This comes days after his aunt Victoria Morena, 34, was originally charged by prosecutors with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child under the age of 13, causing permanent disability. With his death, the 34-year-old’s charges were updated to two felonies: attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery to a child.
Moreno’s representation argued her mental illness should yield mercy from the court, but Cook County Circuit Court judge Susanna Ortiz denied the request.
Morena took Brown, affectionately called Jo Jo, and one of the family vehicles from his grandmother’s home without permission.
The family was concerned after noticing the two missing. The alarm was amplified after a relative noted the woman, who lives with a mental illness, is not allowed to drive because of the medication she is on to treat her condition and the fact that she’d reportedly taken three kids living in the home to the Navy Pier a week prior to Jo Jo’s death. The 11-year-old child, the oldest of the lot of children, was able to call home and tell other family members they were in danger and exactly where to find them, according to CBS News.
Morena reportedly first tried to take Jo Jo to the Shedd Aquarium, but was denied entry because she only had cash on her. By noon, according to prosecutors, she arrived at the Navy Pier, stopping by McDonald’s to order food for the two, and getting her nephew a Happy Meal.
After a while, she took him closer to the pier, where chains were set up to prevent civilians from getting into the water. On video, the boy is seen crawling under the chains and inching his way to the edge of the pier. Morena is watching him as he gets dangerously close to the edge of the pier. She climbs over the chain and straddles the boy before pushing him into the lake, prosecutors say. Witness testimony and a surveillance camera captured the Des Plaines native seeming to push Jo Jo into the water.
As he sinks in the water, she stares at the child as he drowns.
Two others heard the splash of Jo Jo falling in the water and watched his aunt crouch near the platform near his last sighting.
Concerned citizens asked her what happened to the boy, but she remained silent. They called the police with a life ring but were unsuccessful in saving the child’s life.
Later when asked by authorities, she claimed she did not know the child at all.
Afterward, according to a police report, she said she was holding Jo Jo’s shirt and let it go, causing him to fall because he “was acting up.”
When asked about the boy being with her, she said she brought him to the Navy Pier to “go on the rides.”
One of the witnesses, Ashton King, said: “the red flags were there.”
“She was acting very weird,” King continued. “I did end up telling the officer, I said, ‘Listen … she was the only one here when we got here. She’s just been acting off, weird. I just don’t know if she’s off. Something is not right.’ “
“My friend and I were both like, ‘Something is not right with this woman,’” King said. “She just seemed off. She seemed like she was under the influence of something, possibly.”
The other witness, Allison Huston said, “I will never forget seeing his face as he slipped under the surface. It was absolutely horrible.”
The Chicago Fire Department was able to pull Jo Jo out from the bottom of the lake 30 minutes after he was allegedly pushed in. He was not dead but suffered cardiac arrest.
The first responders rushed him to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where officials said he was in “very critical condition.”
Law & Crime reports that the Chicago Police Department said, “An investigation determined that less than an hour earlier, the offender pushed a 3-year-old male into the water in the 700 block of E. Grand (18th District). The offender did not attempt to rescue the victim. The victim was pulled from the water by emergency personnel and transported to an area hospital in critical condition. The offender was placed into custody and charged accordingly.”
The family started a GoFundMe that asked the public to help with expenses associated with his accident. Since its creation on Thursday, Sept. 22, it has raised more than $18,000. Now, with the boy’s death, the crowdfund will likely be changed from help with medical bills to possible homegoing services.
Trauma has been plaguing the family for the entire month. Over the last few weeks, Dantrell Brown, the boy’s father, has been seen being taken by the ambulance on stretchers by neighbors.
Brown has recently revealed on YouTube that he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, three years ago at age 22, just days before the birth of his son— surely making Jo Jo’s heart-related death hit harder on the young dad.
The dad spoke about his loss on Instagram saying, “Bubba…… I gotta cross the finish line for you and get that heart transplant. If I don’t make it out we can finally have that swim together that I promised you.”
He added, “Look at the joy you brought me,” he continued. “I’m not okay. I’m being strong because I figure if everyone seeing me being strong they can feed off my strength and be strong as well but Bubba I’m not ok I’m trying but I’m not ok and never will be.”
The father also launched a GoFundMe campaign five days before his son’s demise.
It said, “As most of you know I have heart failure and need a heart transplant.” Recently I suffered a seizure in my sleep and later found out I had brain bleeding.”
“I had to make the hard decision of staying in the hospital until I get w heart transplant. I am raising money to make sure when the time comes, I will have any bills covered,” the petition continued. “Anything helps and this is a long recovery as I hope to get back home to my son and wife soon.”
At the time of publishing, he raised almost $4,000 of the $10,000 goal.
