V.I. Police have arrested and charged 41-year-old Rochelle Blyden in connection with the death of 4-and-a-half-month-old Jemeson Beauvoir.
The infant was picked up by emergency personnel from a home in Anna’s Retreat on Feb. 10 and was pronounced dead the same day at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Since then, police have been relatively mum on the subject.
Acting St. Thomas-St. John Police Chief Darren Foy said at a hastily called press conference Thursday morning that the arrest Wednesday night was based upon a more than two-month investigation.
Blyden is changed with 10 different counts ranging from involuntary manslaughter and third degree assault to child neglect and possession of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime.
The child died from blunt force trauma to his head, according to Foy. However, police said they had not identified the weapon as yet.
Citing the ongoing investigation, Foy and Lt. Milton Peterson, chief of detectives, would not say if there was more than one person present when the infant was killed.
Peterson said Blyden had been the child’s baby sitter for awhile before the incident that took his life.
In a release issued after Thursday’s press conference, Public Information Officer Melody Rames added asphyxiation to the cause of death.
Blyden was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, based on a V.I. Superior Court Warrant. Her bail was set at $100,000 and she was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending her court appearance.
Blyden appeared at her advice of rights hearing Thursday, Rames said, where she failed to post bail and was returned to custody.
The full list of charges Blyden is facing includes involuntary manslaughter, third degree assault, unauthorized possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of the crime of involuntary manslaughter, unauthorized possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of the crime of third degree assault, misprison of a felony, child neglect, child abuse and aggravated child abuse and neglect.
