On August 19, 2023, 23-month-old Aaryan was fatally injured at his mother Larena Jackson's home on White Stone Loop in rural Cass Lake, Minnesota. Jackson initially reported that the child had been run over by a vehicle driven by the boy's father, Robert Ortez, but investigators determined Ortez had not been in the area and his car was in the shop. A search of Jackson's home revealed extensive blood throughout a bedroom, blood on a mattress that had been flipped in an apparent attempt to conceal it, and indentations in the sheetrock consistent with the shape of a toddler's head with blood spatter. The child had multiple deep lacerations to his head, forehead, under his left eye, and a split lip. Jackson had cleaned the child before deputies arrived and gave multiple conflicting stories. Jackson was found hiding in a cabinet at a friend's home on August 22 and was arrested. The child died from cardiac arrest on August 24, 2023, five days after the injuries were inflicted. Jackson was eventually found competent to stand trial after initially being declared incompetent, and pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, receiving a sentence of 210 months in prison.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Multiple sources describe the child's injuries as the result of blunt force trauma through child abuse. The lawandcrime.com article states the mother killed the child "by slamming his head repeatedly into a bedroom wall." The Brainerd Dispatch reports "indentations consistent with the shape of a toddler's head" were found in the sheetrock of the bedroom wall with "apparent blood spatter on them." The child had "multiple lacerations to his head, which were actively bleeding," a "laceration on the top of his head, on his forehead, under his left eye, and a split lip" per Valley News Live.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
The child suffered abusive head trauma. The lawandcrime.com article explicitly states the mother killed the child "by slamming his head repeatedly into a bedroom wall." The lptv.org article reports "At least two indentations were also located in the sheetrock in the bedroom wall above the bed that would be consistent with the shape of a toddler's head." Multiple lacerations to the head and fatal injuries from blunt force trauma to the head constitute abusive head trauma.
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The child's biological mother, Larena Renee Jackson, was convicted of his murder. Multiple sources confirm this. The lptv.org article states: "A 30-year-old Cass Lake woman who was charged with murdering her 23-month-old son." The lawandcrime.com article states: "Jackson, 31, was sentenced Monday to nearly 20 years in prison after she pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder for her son's death."
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Larena Renee Jackson was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, malicious punishment of a child, and fleeing a peace officer. She was later convicted and sentenced to 210 months. The wdio.com article states: "The child's mother, Larena Jackson, age 30, of Cass Lake, MN, was taken into custody on August 22nd, 2023, where she was booked into the Cass County Detention Center."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Jackson was found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health issues. The Brainerd Dispatch states: "The state deemed Jackson unable to fully understand the charges filed against her because of a mental illness or cognitive impairment." The lptv.org article about incompetency states that the Cass County Attorney pursued "her commitment to the Department of Human Services as someone who meets the criteria as being mentally ill and dangerous." Jackson underwent multiple competency exams over many months before eventually being deemed competent to proceed.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources reference substance use by the mother. Valley News Live reports Jackson stated in her plea: "I was so under the influence of drugs, I didn't know what I was doing at the time of the crime." The Brainerd Dispatch reports that Jackson's mother "left around 5 p.m. Aug. 19 due to Jackson's drinking, her rudeness, and her being confrontational." The father, Robert Ortez, also states per Valley News Live: "She wasn't doing no drugs. She was drinking."
Notable Details
Several notable details not directly addressed by preceding questions are present. First, Jackson was found incompetent to stand trial under Rule 20 of the Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure in November 2023, which suspended prosecution. She underwent competency exams every few months until she was eventually restored to competency and accepted a plea agreement in February 2025. Second, Jackson entered her guilty plea on a "Norgaard basis," a Minnesota-specific legal mechanism allowing a defendant to admit to a crime and the strength of the prosecution's case while claiming inability to remember specific facts due to intoxication. Third, the plea agreement included an upward departure from sentencing guidelines (210 months versus the standard 180 months) because "the victim was particularly vulnerable." Fourth, Jackson engaged in extensive evidence concealment: she cleaned the child's body, placed a box spring on top of a blood-soaked mattress, had cleaning products and hydrogen peroxide near the door, changed her story multiple times, and was ultimately found "hiding in a cabinet in the bathroom" of a friend's home when arrested.
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