Missouri couple charged in death of malnourished 4-year-old found with injuries all over his body- In a tragic incident in Fredericktown, Missouri, a mother and her boyfriend were charged with the death of a 4-year-old boy who was found malnourished and covered in injuries. The child’s mother, Rylee Fararro, and her boyfriend, Hayden Rosener, were both charged with one felony count each of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and first-degree child endangerment resulting in death. Rosener was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
On Wednesday, March 27, shortly before 1 a.m., Fredericktown Police Department responded to Madison Medical Center in reference to “suspicious circumstances of an unresponsive juvenile.” Medical staff informed responding officers that the child was dead and showed evidence of abuse or neglect. The victim appeared to be malnourished, and an officer noticed bruises, abrasions, and lacerations all over his body.
Rosener and Fararro shared custody of the child. On the night of the boy’s death, Rosener allegedly brought the victim to Fararro unresponsive, and she rushed him to the hospital as Rosener stayed behind. Fararro reportedly told officials she works approximately 60 hours a week, and Rosener served as the primary caregiver to the child. KSDK reports that Fararro said she began seeing suspicious marks and bruises on her son when Rosener started caring for the boy.
Fararro reportedly showed investigators photos of the boy’s bruises and marks. Fararro suspected Rosener had been abusing the victim but didn’t report it to law enforcement. The mother also said her boyfriend tried to discourage her from taking her son to the hospital, KSDK reports. When police confronted Fararro about the boy’s apparent malnourishment, she reportedly said she noticed her son getting thinner, but Rosener believed it was normal.
A previous investigation was conducted by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division. Social service workers assessed the home on Nov. 26, 2023, and a caseworker recommended that the boy not be left alone with Rosener as his primary caretaker because of concerns over drug use and his unpredictable behavior. Police also found a plastic bag containing white powder in Rosener’s clothing when he was processed at the jail. Rosener told police it was crushed Oxycodone that he did not have a prescription for. A police search of the couple’s apartment revealed poor living conditions, including a strong odor of urine. Drug paraphernalia and a “sufficient food supply” were also present, police said.
A judge set Rosener’s bond at $1 million, and Fararro’s bond at $500,000.
