Little Josiah Brown was declared dead at roughly 10:15 a.m. on Sunday morning after being pushed off Navy Pier in Chicago.
The boy’s aunt, 34-year-old Victoria Moreno, is accused of forcing Josiah over the pier on September 19. He fell six feet into the ocean, and investigators believe Moreno saw him gradually vanish beneath the surface and then claimed ever know him.
Thirty minutes after entering the water, divers found the 3-year-old alive. He was then transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest, however he was unable to be rescued.
Moreno was refused bail at her court appearance, despite her defense claiming she had mental health difficulties.
According to reports, the 34-year-old initially told arriving cops that she was simply a witness to the youngster falling in. She quickly modified her statement, telling authorities that she had been gripping Josiah’s shirt on the dock yet had let go because “he was behaving up.”
Authorities in the case claim that Moreno snuck out of the family home in Des Plaines with the youngster on September 19th. Another aunt and Josiah’s grandmother were also present, but the aunt had gone to wake up her children and the grandmother was changing when Moreno arrived.
Prosecutors allege she then grabbed the keys to the family’s truck and snuck out of the residence without anybody realizing she had departed.
Moreno has been accused legally with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated violence on a kid, though those accusations will almost certainly be enhanced in light of Josiah’s death.
His aunt is scheduled to appear in court again on September 30.
My heart aches for little Josiah and the people he leaves behind. Please share this post on Facebook to offer a hopeful prayer.
Rest in peace angel Josiah Brown.
