GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A mother and her boyfriend have been charged in connection with the death of a 15-month-old child.
Sarah Kairys was charged with neglecting a child — consequence is death and child abuse — failing to prevent bodily harm. She is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.
Juan Maravilla was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, and physical abuse of a child — repeated acts causing death. An arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded to St. Mary’s Hospital on May 25, 2017, for a deceased child who had been brought in by her parents. The girl was covered in bruises. Kairys originally told police the child had fallen down the stairs.
Upon subsequent questioning, Maravilla described abuse that he said Kairys inflicted on the girl, including hitting her.
Days after the death, Kairys said she was suspicious of Maravilla because she noticed bruises on the girl, but Maravilla said the girl fell down. She said she did not see Maravilla physically harm the child, but in the days leading up to her death, the bruises were getting darker and the child walked with a limp.
Maravilla was questioned again, and this time admitted to his role in her death.
“’I smacked her up because I got mad, I just got mad and I accidentally hit her,” the complaint quotes him as saying. “I didn’t mean for this (expletive), I didn’t want her to go (die)…she died man, she’s dead, I didn’t want that.”
A person serving in the Brown County Jail with Maravilla told police he said he had kicked the baby in the head.
According to the autopsy, the child suffered multiple fractures — including two ribs — and injuries which resulted in a perforated bowel, leading to death.
