The father of a 4-year-old boy who died earlier this year at a hospital in Syracuse has been arrested and charged in his death, officials said Tuesday.
Joshua Emmons, 26, is charged with first-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, in the May death of his son, Rykelan Ross Brown, the Onondaga Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The young victim was taken to a hospital in Syracuse on May 26 for what Emmons described as a nasty fall at his home in DeWitt. The child died three days later.
The incident occurred about two months after Rykelan was put into the custody of his father, despite a previous abuse conviction. According to CNY Central, Emmons served jail time in 2019 for hitting and bruising a 3-year-old child in Syracuse.
Emmons is accused of repeatedly using “corporal punishment” on his son before the fatal beating on May 26, Syracuse.com reported, citing court documents.
He was arraigned in Syracuse City Court Wednesday morning and is due back in court on Aug. 5. His bail was set at $250,000.
Rykelan’s mother, MacKenzie Brown, was in court for Emmons’ arraignment, according to CNY Central. She sat in the gallery wearing a necklace engraved with Rykelan’s fingerprint. She was also carrying the little boy’s ashes in a heart-shaped blue urn, her son’s favorite color.
“He should be charged with murder, neglect and endangerment,” she told the outlet.
A spokesperson for the Onondaga Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
