North Dakota – A North Dakota coupIe have been arrested and charged with feIony murder and chiId abuse following the death of their 3-year-old fster child earlier this year. The child, 3, who had been in their care for several months, was found unresponsive at their home and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was bIunt-force trauma to the head, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the child’s death uncovered disturbing evidence of abuse. Surveillance footage from inside the coupIe’s, 44-year-old Jami and 62-year-old Ramond, home reportedly showed the woman striking and punching the child multiple times, yanking her by the hair, and using a cell phone to hit her. The child’s father was also seen kicking the child in the lower back after she allegedly bit his wife’s finger.
Interviews with other children living in the home revealed further details about the abuse. One child described their mom as the mean one and stated that the victim was punished for behaviors such as chewing food sIowIy or crying. The woman reportedly referred to the child as a “total brat” in text messages and expressed frustration over the child’s autism.
While speaking to North Dakota authorities, the 44-year-old woman allegedly claimed that because the young girl had autism, she would cause marks on the child’s body by self-inflicting scratches and by hitting her head on walls. However, ring camera footage showed the 44-year-old woman striking and punching the girl on multiple occasions and engaging in other abusive behavior, according to the affidavit.
In one incident, the defendant covered the girl’s mouth and was heard telling her to shut up when she cried, the affidavit states. She also pulled the girl’s hair several times and held her up by the hair, causing the child to hit her head on the floor, on a table, fall into a wall, and land on the ground.
The girl was seen biting the woman and trying to pull away at times, to which the woman responded with closed-fist punches and other attacks, according to police. The 62-year-old man was reported to have kicked and beaten the girl as well, though not as severely as the 44-year-old woman, based on statements from other children living in the home. The children told investigators that the 44-year-old woman would often place the girl on a counter after she did something the woman didn’t like and then start hitting her in the head, the affidavit says.
On one occasion, the girl passed out due to the severity of the beating, police said. The 44-year-old woman reportedly used an ice pack to try to revive her, according to the children. One behavior that frequently upset the 44-year-old woman was how the girl ate; one of the children told officers the girl would get in trouble for leaving food in her mouth.
Both defendants have been charged with Class AA felony murder, Class A felony child abuse involving a victim under six, and Class B felony domestic violence resulting in serious bodily injury to a victim under 12. They are each being held on a $1 million bond, and their preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 24, 2025.