By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
When the body of a deceased infant was found in a box in a field at the Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park, 755 N. Tratt Street, on March 4, investigators indicated that they believed that the boy’s body had been there for less than 48 hours. According to the Probable Cause and Criminal Complaint documents filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, however, the newborn’s body had been in the field for five weeks.
Per the Probable Cause Statement submitted by Whitewater Police Detective Anthony Heilberger, he and Special Agent Bob Juarez of the WI Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed Santos Asucena Caseres Cruz twice on March 24. On the first occasion Caseres Cruz denied being pregnant and denied knowing information about the deceased infant. Later in the day she admitted that at approximately 6 p.m. on January 27 she gave birth to a baby boy, indicating that the baby did not appear to be breathing, did not cry, was not moving and started to turn purple. Although she believed the baby was choking she never aided the baby to help it breathe, and did not call 911 because she was scared that her children would be upset that she was pregnant and that this was with a different man than their father. After having hid the baby from her family she eventually wrapped it in a new shirt, placed the baby in a cardboard box in a garbage bag, and drove to a field near the trailer park at approximately 5 a.m. on January 28, leaving the baby behind. She stated that she checked on the box every day and cried.
An autopsy was conducted on March 6 by Brian Linert, M.D. of the Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office. Dr. Linert indicated that he was not able to determine a cause of death.
Caseras Cruz, age 39, of 755 N. Tratt Street, Lot 42, was charged in Jefferson County Circuit Court on March 28 with two felonies: Neglecting a child – consequence is death and Move/hide/bury corpse of child. Upon conviction an individual may be fined not more than $100,000 and $25,000 respectively for those offenses, or imprisoned not more than 25 years and 12 years and 6 months, or both. Caseras Cruz is currently confined at the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 4. A charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty.
