Prosecutor: Round Lake Beach boy hit with belt, deprived of food before death

An 8-year-old Round Lake Beach boy had been beaten repeatedly with a belt and deprived of food for days leading up to his death Friday, a prosecutor said Sunday during the initial court appearance for the child’s mother and her boyfriend.

Dominique Servant, 33, and Joey L. Ruffin, 38, both of the 1900 block of Cedar Lake Road, face first-degree murder and child endangerment charges stemming from the death of the boy, who authorities say was found malnourished and bruised.

Servant and Ruffin were ordered held in the Lake County jail pending further court proceedings scheduled for Monday afternoon.

“There are no conditions which justify the release of the defendant prior to the detention hearing,” Lake County Judge James Simonian said.

Authorities say police and firefighters were dispatched to the family’s home about 2 p.m. Friday for a report of an unresponsive child.

The boy, whose name has not been released, later was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. An autopsy indicated he had suffered from long-term malnourishment and physical abuse, authorities said.

Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis said Sunday that numerous bruises were found on the child after his death.

When the boy fell unconscious Friday, she said, Ruffin tried to perform CPR before Servant told him to call 911. Servant later told authorities she had seen Ruffin punch the boy a day earlier, according to Lewis.

Prior to his death, the boy had been placed on a liquid diet, with Servant indicating the last time he was given food was on or about Wednesday, Lewis said.

The boy also was made to hold weights above his head as punishment, authorities allege.

Lewis said Ruffin’s phone was searched and recordings were recovered showing him abusing the child, including one made shortly before 911 was called Friday.

Servant told the court she works for the Special Education District of Lake County. Both she and Ruffin will be represented by a public defender.

In a message to the community Saturday, Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said the boy’s death has “shaken us to our core.”

“There are simply no words that can fully capture the heartbreak we feel as parents, neighbors, friends, and as a police department,” Rodriguez posted on Facebook. “When a precious child is taken from us in such a way, it is natural to feel anger. It is natural to feel confusion. It is natural to ask why. I share in that grief. In moments like this, we must come together, not apart.”

Two siblings — a 10-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy — also lived in the house, authorities said. The older child showed signs of abuse and malnourishment and was admitted to a hospital, according to police. The youngest child was placed in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.