Three-year-old Eastyn James Deronjic died on March 18, 2024, at Sanford Hospital in Moorhead, Minnesota, after suffering months of physical abuse while living in an unofficial caregiving arrangement with his mother's friend, Rosa (Mason) Garza, and Garza's significant other, Shiann Erickson. Eastyn's autopsy revealed 28 blunt force injuries, and the cause of death was peritonitis due to a bowel perforation caused by a single blow. In the two days before his death, Eastyn was severely ill — vomiting, having diarrhea, and struggling to breathe — but was not taken to a hospital despite suggestions to do so. On the night of his death, Garza's mother was watching Eastyn when he became unresponsive after drinking water and coughing. At least seven adults had witnessed signs of abuse or saw bruising on Eastyn in the weeks and months prior, but none reported it to authorities. Both caregivers were charged with second-degree murder; Garza pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years, while Erickson's trial is pending.
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 fatality report states that "His autopsy outlined 28 blunt force injuries" and "Eastyn died from peritonitis due to a bowel perforation from one of these injuries." Additionally, the fatality report notes that "Caretaker 1's mother told police that she saw Caretaker 1 scream at, slap, flick, and spank Eastyn." The Valley News Live article states that "Erickson told investigators that Garza had been assaultive toward her and would occasionally lose his temper with Eastyn" and "sometimes she would have to stand between Garza and Eastyn so he would not hit the child."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The fatality report states that "Leading up to his death, Eastyn was very ill, with Caretaker 1 saying he was vomiting, struggling to breath, and having diarrhea starting two days before his death. On the night of his death, Caretaker 2 suggested taking Eastyn to the hospital after getting advice from her mother. Caretaker 1 refused, saying Eastyn was fine." The Valley News Live article adds that the medical examiner said "a child with such an injury may be able to survive for a few days, but would be in significant discomfort," and that "Erickson said she was going to take Eastyn to the hospital on March 17, but never did." The failure to seek medical care for a severely ill child for two days constitutes 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?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
The Law & Crime article describes "months of physical abuse" and the fatality report notes the caregiving arrangement was "in effect for over a year." The fatality report states that "Caretaker 1's mother told police that she saw Caretaker 1 scream at, slap, flick, and spank Eastyn" and that "she also noticed a black bruise on Eastyn's genitals less than a week before his death." The autopsy found 28 blunt force injuries. Multiple witnesses saw bruising at various times over weeks and months. The text message "Go beat on her kid" from March 17 suggests a callous pattern. The sustained and severe nature of this physical abuse over months against a 3-year-old, resulting in 28 injuries including genital bruising, implies treatment extending beyond isolated incidents of physical abuse into a pattern of prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment.
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)?
Shiann Erickson (Caretaker 2) is identified as female throughout the documents and is the significant other of the mother's friend (Garza). The fatality report describes her as "Caretaker 1's significant other, Caretaker 2," and Document 6 says the caregivers were "acquaintances" of the children's biological parents. Erickson was charged with second-degree murder and is awaiting trial. Additionally, the fatality report notes she witnessed abuse and failed to protect the child, while the Valley News Live article describes her as having intended to take Eastyn to the hospital but never doing so.
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The primary perpetrator was Rosa Garza, described as the mother's friend (Caretaker 1 in the fatality report). Multiple sources indicate Garza now goes by "Mason Garza." The Law & Crime article states "Garza, who now goes by 'Mason Garza.'" The Valley News Live article uses male pronouns for Garza: "would occasionally lose his temper with Eastyn." However, other sources use female pronouns. The gender identity of this perpetrator is ambiguous across the sources, but the name change to "Mason" and use of male pronouns in some documents suggest Garza may identify as male, making this a male friend involved in the death.
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 fatality report states "Both Caretakers were charged with second degree murder for Eastyn's death." The Valley News Live article confirms: "Erickson and Garza were arrested on July 8 and are each charged with one count of 2nd degree murder." The Law & Crime article confirms Garza pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years, while Erickson is awaiting trial.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Valley News Live article states "Erickson told investigators that Garza had been assaultive toward her." The fatality report states that Caretaker 2 (Erickson) "witnessed Eastyn suffer physical abuse by Caretaker 1 at least once, even standing in front of Eastyn to prevent the assault and was assaulted in his place." The Law & Crime article corroborates: "Erickson claimed that Garza had been abusive toward her in the past." This describes domestic violence between the two caregivers.
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?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states that "Instead of taking Eastyn to the hospital, Caretaker 1 took Caretaker 2 to the hospital because she fell ill from cannabis use." This directly references substance use (cannabis) by one of the caregivers.
Notable Details
The fatality report highlights a critical systemic gap: "Although there were not any mandated reporters interfacing with Eastyn due to his age and unofficial living situation, there were at least seven trusted adults who knew, or had reason to believe, that Eastyn was being physically abused. This was flagged by both our Medical and Legal SMEs. Because none of these adults called for help or assistance from police or CPS, there was no way for the child welfare system to know about or intervene in Eastyn's situation." Additionally, the living arrangement was entirely unofficial — the caregivers were "acquaintances" of the biological parents with no legal or formal custodial arrangement, which placed the children outside the visibility of any institutional safeguards. The fatality report also notes that "there were no reports of maltreatment made to Clay County in the 12 months prior to Eastyn's death" despite widespread knowledge of the abuse. Valley News Live reported that "Erickson and Garza were trying to get Eastyn's mother to sign over temporary care of the children," suggesting the arrangement was evolving toward formalization but never reached it. The fatality report also notes that Garza received an "upward durational departure for sentencing" of 240 months (20 years), indicating the court found aggravating circumstances warranting a harsher-than-standard sentence.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.