Stories don’t get much worse than this one.

On November 17, 2020, a young woman went into labor and was hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri so she could give birth to her third child. She left her two older children, a seven-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, at her small apartment in the 1700 block of Chiquita Terrace in unincorporated northern St. Louis County, in the care of her boyfriend, Yoshuah Dallas. 

The woman, whose name is Aunyae, gave birth to a healthy baby girl the same day.

Aunyae’s seven- and five-year-old children share a father, who is not Yoshuah. It is unknown if he is the infant’s father, and I was unable to determine how long Aunyae and Yoshuah have been dating.

The following morning, while Aunyae recuperated with her newborn, Yoshuah arrived at St. Louis Children’s Hospital with the baby’s older brother, five-year-old Jamarion Delancy, “who was in dire need of medical attention,” according to the St. Louis County Police Association.

Medical staff tried everything possible to save Jamarion, but several hours after his arrival at the hospital, he succumbed to his grievous injuries. Jamarion Javonte Delancy, who was born on January 29, 2015, was pronounced dead on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

An autopsy conducted on little Jamarion showed he had suffered “devastating blunt force trauma,” including a lacerated liver and intestine, a broken rib, and bruising to his face and inside his mouth. Jamarion’s death was caused by these injuries, which caused “significant internal bleeding.”

That’s all incredibly horrible, of course, but the horror ratchets up a notch when taken into consideration that Jamarion was blind, had special needs and limited mobility, and required braces to walk.

“Jamarion had no way to defend himself against the suspect’s attack,” the police association said in a statement.

The St. Louis County Police Department launched an investigation that led them rapidly to their only suspect. An arrest warrant was issued for 24-year-old Yoshuah Dallas, who was arrested on Thursday, November 19 and charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death (Felony A), as well as unlawful possession of a firearm (Felony D). 

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Authorities said Yoshuah admitted to being Jamarion’s only caretaker in the hours prior to their arrival at the hospital.

Yoshuah also has three open cases in traffic court involving offenses from late 2018, including exceeding the speed limit, driving without maintaining financial responsibility (insurance), and operating a motor vehicle on a highway while his license was revoked. According to the Your Missouri Courts portal, warrants have been issued for him several times for failure to appear in court on those charges. Seems like a stand-up guy, TBH.

Yoshuah appeared in St. Louis County court on November 20 before Judge Amanda Bundren McNeeley. His next court date is a bond reduction hearing scheduled for 10:00 AM on Monday, November 30, and a criminal setting hearing has been scheduled for 9:00 AM on January 6, 2021. Yoshuah, who is currently being held in St. Louis County Justice Center on a $250,000 cash only bond, is represented by Clayton, Missouri attorney Patrick C. Gill.

According to Joe Patterson, a retired detective and current executive director of the St. Louis County Police Association, the organization has initiated fundraisers before, but it doesn’t happen often. In this case, however, the association, which represents nearly 900 officers and civilians with the St. Louis County Police Department, quickly began an online fundraiser to cover Jamarion’s funeral costs and other unforeseen costs that Aunyae will undoubtedly incur in the near future.

“This case is so egregious and sad,” Patterson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Unfortunately, detectives who handle these types of crimes see this level of violence on a daily basis, but when it involves a child who is blind, developmentally disabled, and can only walk using braces, it was extremely devastating for these detectives.” 

In the GoFundMe campaign, the association wrote, “Jamarion’s death has left an impact on the members of the St. Louis County Police Department and we feel compelled to do more, especially at a time of year when families typically gather and celebrate the holidays. We feel for Aunyae at this incredibly difficult time where she has to bring a baby home from the hospital, while planning her son’s funeral and also trying to care for [Jamarion’s older sister] who was in the apartment when this horrible act occurred — all with extremely limited resources.

“With the permission of the family, we started this fundraiser to raise money for Jamarion’s funeral expenses, provide essential care products for the baby and give [the 7-year-old] a Christmas she will not soon forget.”

As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $38,000. To help Aunyae and her girls, you can donate to the GoFundMe campaign here. 

I haven’t been able to turn up much information about Jamarion himself yet, other than the fact that his name, according to his mom, means “handsome.”

Rest well, Jamarion. 

Click here for my ongoing coverage of Jamarion’s story.

Sources: PEOPLE, GoFundMe, Missouri Case.net, KMOV4, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, VINELink, Facebook