An autopsy report for a 4-year-old Reynoldsburg boy reveals that he suffered abuse and neglect before his death, which resulted in multiple brain bleeds and hypothermia, and that he was so malnourished that he weighed only 35 pounds.
Ja’Kai Smith died on April 10 at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
His mother, 19-year-old Kailee Smith-Parks, and her boyfriend, Linwood Allison, 20, each face charges of aggravated murder, murder and 22 counts of endangering children in connection with Ja’Kai’s death.
Both are being held in the Franklin County jail without bond and awaiting trial.
The Franklin County Coroner’s office report released July 22 says that when Ja’Kai arrived at Nationwide Children’s Hospital on April 10, staff recorded his body temperature at 89.5 degrees, more than nine degrees below the average body temperature of 98.6 degrees.
Ja’Kai was breathing shallowly and had a pulse when he was brought to the hospital but lost his pulse, the report says. Efforts at CPR were unsuccessful and he died that same day.
The boy weighed 34 pounds at the time he died, between the fifth and 10th percentile for his age, the report says. The pathologist who conducted the autopsy described Ja’Kai as “emaciated” and “malnourished,” with his body mass index in the 10th percentile for his height and weight.
The autopsy report also details the injuries Ja’Kai suffered leading up to his death. Those injuries included bleeding between the boy’s scalp and skull, bleeding in the space between the boy’s brain and the surrounding tissue, bleeding and swelling of both optic nerves, early signs of brain dysfunction caused by a lack of oxygen, swelling of the optic nerves caused by brain swelling and a buildup of fluid in Ja’Kai’s lungs and the lining between his abdomen and abdominal organs.
The autopsy also specifically describes scars of different lengths, some up to 1½ inches long, across his body, including both shoulders, his chin, the skin around one of his nostrils, both sides of his buttocks and back, as well as his collarbone and stomach. The autopsy report says some of the scars were “patterned.”
The pathologist also noted bruises on both of Ja’Kai’s cheeks and upper eyelids, as well as his upper and lower back.
A Reynoldsburg police detective testified at a May hearing that videos from a camera installed in the bedroom Ja’Kai stayed in at the Steinway Drive apartment where Smith-Parks, Allison and Ja’Kai lived captured physical, verbal and psychological torment of the boy over weeks.
Det. Nicholas Rubenstahl testified that Ja’Kai would ask for food “hundreds of times a day” and could be seen looking for crumbs in the bedroom’s carpet. The boy would be subjected to cold showers, which caused him to be unable to stand and dress himself after being returned to his room, Rubenstahl testified.
The physical abuse also included waterboarding, having his ribs raked and being tossed around the room while being mocked by his mother and Allison, Rubenstahl said.
On the day Ja’Kai was taken to the hospital, Rubenstahl testified that Smith-Parks and Allison didn’t believe the boy was as severely hurt as he was, saying that he was faking being dead, even after he continued to fall over when repositioned. Rubenstahl also testified that Smith-Parks is seen on video lighting incense and using it to cause burns on Ja’Kai’s body to try to get a reaction from him.
Less than a month before his death, Franklin County Children Services received a neglect report involving Ja’Kai.
The agency confirmed the report didn’t involve any allegations of physical abuse and was under investigation at the time Ja’Kai died. The agency also said there had been in-person contact with Smith-Parks within 48 hours of receiving the report.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Autopsy reveals extent of abuse Ohio boy 4-year-old endured before death
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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