A Missouri woman and her boyfriend were arrested after hospital staff contacted police in regard to an unresponsive child just before 1 a.m. March 27. Fredericktown police officers arrived at Madison Medical Center and were informed by hospital staff that the child, a 4-year-old boy, was dead and that his body showed signs of abuse.
Per a release from the Fredericktown Police Department, they immediately questioned the child’s mother, Rylee R. Fararro, and officers then found and detained her boyfriend, Hayden W. Rosener. The pair were arrested and charged in connection with the child’s death in addition to drug charges. The community took to social media with an outpouring of love and support for the child with the hashtag #justiceforjonah.
The child appeared to be in ill health.
When police arrived at the hospital, the boy was dead and allegedly showed signs of abuse, according to KFVS. He appeared malnourished and reportedly had bruises, abrasions, and lacerations all over his body. After examining the child, officers spoke with Fararro, who allegedly admitted to police that she and her boyfriend are addicted to opioids and she worked a busy schedule.
The mother blamed the boyfriend for the abuse.
Fararro alleged she worked 60 hours per week, and when Rosener became her son’s primary caretaker, she began noticing marks on his body, per court documents obtained by KFVS. She apparently didn’t tell anyone about the suspected abuse but claimed she documented it. The mother also alleged her boyfriend told her not to take the child to the hospital to get his wounds treated.
The boyfriend claimed it was an accident.
Rosener reportedly told police he was helping the young boy in the bathroom when he threw a temper tantrum and, in doing so, hit his head on the toilet. The child began bleeding, and blood splattered onto the shower curtain, the boyfriend stated.
As police continued talking with Rosener, they learned the couple had dealt with the Missouri Department of Social Service Children’s Division in November 2023. At that time, according to documentation obtained by KFVS, the caseworker recommended that Rosener “not be left alone with the child for primary care/supervision due to drug concerns.”
A warrant was issued, and both Ferraro and Rosener were arrested.
According to authorities, Rosener was arrested on charges of felony abuse or neglect of a child, resulting in death, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held on a $1 million cash bond. Fararro was being held on a $500,000 cash bond and was charged with felony abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and endangering the welfare of a child. The pair appeared in court on Thursday.
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Family and friends began posting #justiceforjonah.
Although the child was not publicly identified by police, the mother posted about her son, Jonah, on Facebook, and many are asking for #justiceforjohnah with memories of the young boy.
Friend Abigail Ramsey was reportedly in the courtroom on March 28 and posted on Facebook:
“They read their charges and will go to trial April 11!!! While in the court room rylee asked for a lower bond , which was denied thankfully!!! She then started to say ‘I just want to be able to go to my son’s funeral” in which the judge said that is not his choice. She needs to talk to a lawyer. She looked at us in the courtroom and said, ‘I have never hit my son; I would never” and ‘I have never been in trouble before, ‘which, again, the judge said don’t discuss that right now it’s not about that.”
Ramsey tells CafeMom that Fararro allegedly wasn’t a drug user until Rosener came around, and she says she is heartbroken by what happened to Jonah. “I would like people to know that Jonah was the sweetest little boy ever,” she says.
Friends are working to create a T-shirt in his memory. A GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses has brought in $1,200 of a $10,000 goal thus far.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
