BROOKFIELD, MO. — A young couple has been charged after their 2-month-old infant died of malnutrition and lack of medical care, authorities in Linn County said. 20-year-old Angelica Fesler-Ramos and 20-year-old Caleb Colkers both now face first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death in connection with the tragedy, according to court filings.
Emergency responders were called to Pershing Memorial Hospital in Brookfield around 12:40 p.m. on Dec. 13, after the parents brought in the unresponsive infant. Medical staff noted the child was “cold, pale, unresponsive, floppy, pulseless, and with no spontaneous respirations” upon arrival. The child was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Court documents allege the family had recently moved to Linn County from Tennessee and the infant had not received medical care in more than a month, with the parents reporting the baby had been losing weight over the prior two weeks. Fesler-Ramos told police she last fed the infant at 6:30 a.m. the day of the incident, but later said the child “didn’t have muscle strength to swallow” and had become “skin and bones,” raising her concern about milk supply.
According to probable cause statements, the mother said she had consulted a lactation specialist in Tennessee and believed breastfeeding alone would suffice, despite noting signs of dehydration — including a sunken fontanel (soft spot) and lack of bowel movements — and declining to use formula. Colkers also claimed financial concerns and lack of insurance prevented them from seeking supplemental nutrition or medical care.
Investigators noted that the couple qualified for Missouri benefit programs that could have helped provide formula, including WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition support, though they reportedly did not use those resources. Doctors in Tennessee previously warned the parents when the infant was only 10 days old that he had lost 22 % of his birth weight and needed medical intervention, advice they refused at the time.
Fesler-Ramos was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea, and Colkers is scheduled to be arraigned soon. Each defendant’s case will proceed in Linn County Circuit Court.
