On July 6, 2023, 14-month-old Riverlynn Rose Vannorman was pronounced dead at St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls, Minnesota, after being found unresponsive at the home of Erik Adrian Blanco, her mother's boyfriend. Riverlynn and her mother, Raylynn Skroch, had been temporarily living with Blanco for about a week. That evening, Skroch left the child in Blanco's care while she made a trip to a liquor store; upon returning, she found the child not breathing and Blanco performing CPR. Police responding to the 911 call observed bruises on the child's face and marks on her neck. Skroch also reported noticing bruising on the child's neck earlier that day after Blanco had given her a shower, which Blanco attributed to the child slipping. An autopsy by the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death was asphyxial injury and blunt head and neck injuries consistent with homicidal violence. Blanco was charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Notably, Blanco had a 2001 conviction for assaulting a 1-year-old child who suffered a large skull fracture, along with multiple other violent felony convictions.
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)
The vital record (Document 1) lists the injury description as "Assaulted By Other(S)" and the cause of death as "Asphyxial Injury, And Blunt Head And Neck Injury" with manner of death "Homicide." The Newsweek article states that police "found VanNorman unresponsive and observed bruises on her face along with marks on her neck." The autopsy determined she died of "multiple head and neck injuries that were consistent with homicidal violence." The asphyxial injury and marks on the neck strongly suggest choking or strangulation, while the blunt head injury and facial bruises indicate striking.
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?
While the specific terms "shaken baby syndrome" or "abusive head trauma" are not used, the vital record lists "Blunt Head And Neck Injury" from being "Assaulted By Other(S)" and the Newsweek article describes "multiple head and neck injuries that were consistent with homicidal violence." Inflicted blunt head trauma in a 14-month-old child constitutes abusive head trauma by clinical definition, even though the specific clinical label is not applied in the text.
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?
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)?
The Newsweek article identifies Erik Adrian Blanco as "Skroch's boyfriend" and states the child died "while alone in his care." Document 4 states "The suspect had been in care of the child while her mother was out." Blanco was the mother's boyfriend (male paramour) and was directly involved in the child's death, being charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
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?
The Newsweek article states that "Erik Adrian Blanco, 40, of Little Falls, Minnesota, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count of second-degree murder with intent and one count of second-degree murder without intent in the death of the toddler." Document 4 also confirms: "A 40-year-old man has been arrested on two pending counts of 2nd-degree murder for the death of 14-month-old Riverlynn VanNorman."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Newsweek article states that "Blanco was convicted of felony domestic assault in 2017." Blanco served as the child's caregiver at the time of the fatal incident, making this a reference to domestic violence by a caregiver.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
The Newsweek article states that "VanNorman and her mother, identified as Raylynn Skroch, had been temporarily living with Blanco, Skroch's boyfriend, for about a week before the girl died." The Bring Me The News arrest article similarly states "the victim and mother were temporarily staying with the suspect." The phrase "temporarily living with" for "about a week" implies the mother and child did not have stable permanent housing and were in a temporary living arrangement, though this is not a formal shelter or motel.
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Newsweek article details Blanco's extensive prior criminal history separate from the current fatal incident: "Blanco was convicted of felony domestic assault in 2017, theft of a firearm or property valued at over $35,000 in 2016, receiving stolen property in 2014, assault with a dangerous weapon in 2014, disorderly conduct and obstruction in 2006 and assault causing great bodily harm in 2001." The 2001 case involved assaulting a 1-year-old child who suffered a "large skull fracture." All of these predate the current incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
The Newsweek article reveals a critical systemic detail: "In the 2001 case, Blanco pleaded guilty to assaulting a 1-year-old child who suffered a 'large skull fracture' while under his care." This means Blanco had previously been convicted of nearly identical violence against a child of essentially the same age (1-year-old) over two decades before killing Riverlynn VanNorman. Despite this prior conviction, along with multiple subsequent violent felony convictions including felony domestic assault (2017), assault with a dangerous weapon (2014), and assault causing great bodily harm (2001), Blanco was still able to be placed in a caregiver role for a young child. This represents a significant potential failure in systems designed to protect children from known violent offenders.
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