Spencer County: Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators were called to the Stones Motel in Dale this afternoon after the father of a six month old found the baby unresponsive.
Initial investigation reveals that the mother Sheena Ransom, 28, Dale, the father Jorge Candelaria, 32, Dale and their six month old boy, had all been sleeping in the same bed. Sheena woke up and got out of bed to shower, shortly thereafter Jorge noticed that the boy was unresponsive. 911 was called and emergency personnel responded however the six month old boy was dead.
The Spencer County Coroner’s Office has identified the boy as Emilio Candelaria, 6 months old from Dale. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) afternoon in Dale at the Fuller Funeral Home. The cause of death is not known at this time.
First Sergeant Robert Priest said, “We are treating this as a death investigation at this time. Once all the evidence including the results from the autopsy is in, our case will be forwarded to the Spencer County Prosecutor’s Office for their review which is standard procedure in cases like this.”
The motel room that this occurred in was room #12 and had been the residence of the family for several weeks.
Deceased (Family Notified):
Emilio Candelaria, 6 months old
Assisting Agencies: Dale and Santa Claus Police Departments, Spencer County Coroner’s Office
