Lakewood Parents Charged With Murder of Infant Daughter: ‘Blunt Force Trauma’

Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28 (Photos: Ocean County Jail)

A Lakewood couple has been charged in the death of their infant daughter, prosecutors in Ocean County announced Thursday.

Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, both of Lakewood, have been charged with murder in connection with the death of their three month-old daughter. Both are presently lodged in the Ocean County Jail while awaiting a detention hearing following their arrest.

According to prosecutors, Lakewood police were called to a residence on Pinehurst Drive Monday at about 7:20 p.m. for a report of a three month-old infant having difficulty breathing; responding officers found the infant to be unresponsive.  Lakewood Township Emergency Medical Services personnel soon arrived on scene and immediately began to administer medical attention to the infant, who was transported to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township, and later transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune.

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On May 6, 2025, the infant was pronounced deceased at JSUMC. An autopsy performed the following day determined that the cause of the infant’s death was “blunt force trauma to the head causing fracturing and subdural hematoma,” and the manner of death to be homicide, the statement said.

Detectives from Lakewood, as well as the county SVU team and sheriff’s department determined that Santiago and Gibson – the parents of the infant – were responsible for the child’s death, the statement said.  The pair were taken into custody at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters Thursday and transported to the Ocean County Jail where they are presently lodged pending a detention hearing.