On the evening before June 14, 2023, a 4-year-old girl was put to bed by her 16-year-old uncle (Kamitri Riles) who was caring for her and her siblings in their La Crosse, Wisconsin home while her mother was away. Approximately 20 minutes later, the child came downstairs crying for her mother and cried in the teenager's face for about 30 minutes. Riles admitted he struck the child twice in the face with an open hand; after the second strike, she fell backward and hit her head on the floor. Rather than seeking medical attention, Riles cleaned blood from the child's face and put her back in bed, checking on her multiple times through the night and into the next day. The child was found lifeless on June 14, 2023, and the Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be non-accidental head trauma. Riles was charged with first degree intentional homicide and pleaded not guilty; a reverse waiver hearing was requested to determine whether the case should be transferred to juvenile court.
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 news article describes the perpetrator's confession in detail: "He said he did hit SH twice with an open hand. After striking her the second time in the face, she fell down. He said she went back one to two feet, landed on her back, and hit her head on the floor." The fatality report also states the cause of death was "non-accidental head trauma."
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 fatality report states "The Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death to be non-accidental head trauma." Non-accidental head trauma is synonymous with abusive head trauma. The news article further describes the mechanism: the child was struck in the face, fell, and "hit her head on the floor."
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)?
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)?
The fatality report documents multiple prior CPS reports involving the child's family, including: "On November 7, 2022, the agency screened-in a CPS Report alleging sexual abuse to the child's now 8-year-old sibling by an unknown maltreater." Also: "On May 28, 2021, the agency screened-in a CPS report for Alternative Response alleging neglect to the child's now 6-year-old sibling by the mother and father." Additionally, multiple other CPS and services reports were screened out between 2020 and 2023.
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?
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?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the documents. First, the perpetrator was a 16-year-old relative (uncle) of the child, which is an unusual circumstance — he does not fit standard perpetrator categories (parent, paramour, adult relative, sibling, babysitter). Second, the news article reports that defense attorneys requested a reverse waiver hearing to determine if the case should be transferred from adult court to juvenile court, which the DA noted would significantly change both the penalty structure and the amount of public information: "If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, the sentence is life... If you were sent back to the juvenile system, it's a different system so the penalty structure is different." Third, the fatality report substantiated maltreatment by an "unknown maltreater" despite the teenager's confession as described in the news article, suggesting a disconnect between the CPS and criminal findings. Fourth, after striking the child, the perpetrator did not seek medical attention; instead, per the news article, he "cleaned blood off of her and put her in bed" and "checked on his niece three times to see if she was alive" via his phone, waiting until the next afternoon before acknowledging she was likely dead.
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