Blind 5-year-old boy beaten to death as mom gives birth to 3rd child, authorities say

ST LOUIS — A Missouri man is accused of beating to death his girlfriend’s blind 5-year-old son, who he was caring for while the boy’s mother gave birth to her third child last month.

Yoshuah Dallas, 24, of St. Louis, is charged with abuse or neglect of a child causing death and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to St. Louis County court records. He was booked Nov. 18 into the county jail.

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Dallas was left in charge of Jamarion Javante Delancy and his 7-year-old sister on Nov. 17 when the children’s mother, Aunyae White, was hospitalized after going into labor. According to the St. Louis County Police Association, which established a GoFundMe page for the boy’s family, Dallas rushed Jamarion to St. Louis Children’s Hospital the next day.

“Despite the tremendous efforts of hospital staff, Jamarion was pronounced dead several hours later,” the fundraising page states. “An investigation revealed Jamarion sustained devastating blunt force trauma, to include a lacerated liver and intestine, a broken rib and (bruising) to his face and inside his mouth.

“These injuries caused significant internal bleeding and were the cause of Jamarion’s death.”

Jamarion had significant special needs, according to the association. Along with his blindness, he was developmentally disabled and required braces to walk, which hampered his mobility.

“Jamarion had no way to defend himself against the suspect’s attack,” association officials said.

A probable cause affidavit obtained by KSDK in St. Louis states that Dallas admitted he was the boy’s sole caretaker in the 24 hours before his death. He also admitted that a gun found in the family’s apartment was his.

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Dallas, a convicted felon, is not allowed to possess a firearm, the news station reported.

“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,” police association officials said. “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 (her daughter), who was in the apartment when this horrible act occurred.”

As of noon Wednesday, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $48,000 for the family.

“This case was so egregious and sad,” Joe Patterson, a retired detective who heads the police association, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week. “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.”

If convicted of the child abuse charge, Dallas faces up to life in prison.

Cox Media Group