The boy’s mother was seen on home surveillance video desperately searching for her family and for a way to call for help — but her husband and sons were dead in the basement
A father in Illinois is suspected of killing his infant and toddler sons and himself in a horrific family murder-suicide.
CBS News reported that two little boys and their father were found dead after a house fire in Bloomington on Tuesday.
The infant and the toddler boys had been strangled and their father, Eric Ringenberg, was found dead by hanging in the basement with his son’s bodies.
The mother of the two boys, Pamela Ringenberg, 32, survived the fire however she suffered from smoke inhalation and is hospitalized.
Security camera footage in the home reportedly shows the father hiding cell phones in a kitchen cabinet before setting his home on fire.
The footage, which has not been released, also reportedly shows the Mother waking up to realize that her home is burning and searching in vain for phones to call for help. The footage also reportedly shows her frantically searching the home, presumably for her family, but she cannot find them.
At that point, her husband and sons would have been dead in the basement already. Pamela escaped the home and seeked help from neighbors.
A medical examination reportedly found that both boys, a 2-year-old and an infant, were found dead of strangulation by ligature, which is the act of strangling someone with an object but not suspending them.
Investigators have already determined that Eric Ringenberg acted alone in the deaths of his sons and in setting the house on fire. The boys have not been identified beyond their initials, CR and RR.
Police have not yet released a motive for the apparent family murder-suicide.
Childcare Workers Caught On Camera Taunting Child With Autism
Childcare Workers Caught On Camera Taunting Child With Autism
In a shocking sequence of events, two childcare workers have now turned themselves into police custody after a video surfaced of them berating, taunting and throwing a backpack at an 8-year-old child with autism.
It all started on September 1, when Winter Haven PD found out about a Snapchat video showing 26-year-old Kaderrica Smith and then 19-year-old Alexis Henderson taunting, aggravating, yelling at and tripping a student at Our Children’s Academy.
The 8-year-old child is seen and heard in the video, crying and hiding underneath a table while Henderson and Smith continue to taunt him.
At one point in the video, you can see how the child tries to run towards one of the workers when she grabs his arms and sweeps his legs out from under him causing him to fall.
The video lasts for about three minutes and at one point shows one of the workers throwing a backpack at the child, hitting him in the face.
“There has to be an accountability measure for folks,” said Winter Haven Police Chief Charlie Bird.
“Especially when they’re supposed to be the professionals. They get hired as the professionals, they’re being paid as the professionals.”
In initial interviews, the two said that they felt they were acting appropriately and did absolutely nothing wrong. Henderson and Smith reportedly just received their certification for childcare last month.
“Those aren’t methods that you can even begin to defend as being used to defuse a situation with an autistic child,” said Bird.
Reports say that they were each immediately fired by the faculty and DCF placed a hold on their certifications.
The child was later interviewed by a DCF Child Protection Team member on September 15 and it was determined that the acts were criminal. Police were initially unable to locate the two, thus giving reason to issue a warrant for their arrest.
Polk officers checking listed address in Dundee for Alexis Henderson. Empty – no signs of the wanted childcare worker. @abcactionnews pic.twitter.com/X5C5hxjhfT
— Ryan Smith (@RyanReports) September 21, 2017
“These workers were supposed to be trained in how to handle children with behavioral issues,” said Bird.
“They are trained to deescalate situations, but that obviously did not happen.”
Kaderrica Smith is now being charged with Battery and Child Abuse while Alexis Henderson is being charged with Child Neglect.ABC Action News made several attempts to get
ABC Action News reportedly made several attempts to get comment from Our Children’s Academy, however the phone calls went unanswered and a worker at the front door said no one was available.
On Friday morning, Smith and Henderson, reportedly turned themselves into to police custody where they were booked into the Polk County Jail.
Henderson, who has been charged with Child Neglect has bonded out.
Smith, who faces charges of Child Abuse and Battery was reportedly held without bond. At her first appearance on Friday, Smith’s bond was set at $5,000 and the conditions include no contact with minors and also to stay away from the school.