On February 11, 2023, six-year-old Alexavier J. Pedrin was found dead in his home in the town of Medary, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, where he lived with his father Derek Pedrin, his father's significant other Josie Dikeman, and several other children. A pathologist later determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and the child had suffered a broken femur three weeks before his death. Dikeman, who had a prior felony child neglect conviction from 2013 involving a different child, was arrested on May 19, 2023, and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, chronic abuse of a child causing death, and physical abuse of a child causing bodily harm. CPS substantiated physical abuse by Dikeman and neglect by the father. Multiple family members and the biological mother (who was incarcerated at the time) had warned CPS about abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse in the home, and the agency was actively investigating a January 2023 physical abuse report when the child died. The night before Alexavier was found dead, a relative called for a welfare check; police observed the child sleeping but took no action to remove anyone from the home.
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 second news article (Document 2) states Dikeman abused Alexavier by "striking him in the face." A pathologist testified the cause of death was "blunt force trauma." The child also had a "broken femur three weeks prior to his death." The fatality report (Document 1) states the agency "found a preponderance of the evidence to substantiate maltreatment of physical abuse to the child by the father's significant other."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The second news article (Document 2), in decoded form, states that the biological mother's letter reported that Derek Pedrin "cancelled multiple medical appointments that were scheduled for Alexavier." This constitutes medical neglect. The fatality report also substantiated neglect by the father.
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 second news article (Document 2) describes a pattern of intentional cruelty toward Alexavier over an extended period. Dikeman allegedly abused Alexavier by "striking him in the face and making him drink his own spit when he was thirsty." He suffered a broken femur three weeks before his death, and blunt force trauma was determined to be the cause of death. Family members noted changes in his behavior and physical appearance after moving in with Dikeman in August 2021. Dikeman was charged with "chronic abuse of a child causing a child's death," indicating a prolonged pattern. Communication with maternal relatives was deliberately blocked, isolating the child. The 2013 case (Document 3) also demonstrated Dikeman's pattern of extreme discipline, including making a child stand for timeouts lasting up to 90 minutes, sit on the toilet for up to 45 minutes with hands in the air, and restricting fluids to three drinks per day.
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?
The fatality report (Document 1) states the agency "found a preponderance of the evidence to substantiate maltreatment of neglect to the child by the father." The father, Derek Pedrin, also reportedly cancelled multiple medical appointments for the child and failed to protect him from Dikeman's abuse despite warnings from family members.
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)?
The fatality report (Document 1) states the agency "found a preponderance of the evidence to substantiate maltreatment of physical abuse to the child by the father's significant other." The second news article (Document 2) identifies her as Josie Dikeman, who was the father's live-in girlfriend and was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Alexavier's death. Document 3 confirms she was "taken into custody Friday, May 19, for first-degree intentional homicide."
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?
The second news article (Document 2) states that family members reported Alexavier "started missing a significant amount of school" after moving in with Dikeman. This suggests the child was being systematically kept from school, though the text does not explicitly say he was formally withdrawn or homeschooled.
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 (Document 1) documents extensive prior CPS history, including: a CPS Report on January 16, 2023, alleging physical abuse to the child by the father's significant other (screened in and assessed before the child's death); a Services Report on October 30, 2019 (screened in); a CPS Report on November 4, 2019 (screened out); a CPS Report on January 14, 2019 (screened out); and multiple screened-out Services Reports in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The agency was actively assessing the January 2023 CPS report at the time of the incident.
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?
Document 2 states that "Dikeman was arrested May 19 and charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Alexavier's death." Document 3 confirms: "Josie Dikeman, 31, of Onalaska, was taken into custody Friday, May 19, for first-degree intentional homicide." She also faces charges of "chronic abuse of a child causing a child's death and physical abuse of a child causing bodily harm."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The second news article (Document 2) reports that the biological mother's letter to CPS stated: "In Josie's residence, there is alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and emotional and mental abuse." Furthermore, "in November 2022, Derek Pedrin was arrested on domestic abuse charges. He was the subject of a no-contact order with Dikeman." Additionally, the biological mother (Jenah Love) was serving a five-year sentence for assaulting Dikeman with a baseball bat.
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?
Multiple instances of prior criminal history are documented. Document 2 states that "Dikeman and a boyfriend were convicted of felony child neglect in 2013, and Dikeman was sentenced to three years of probation." Document 3 confirms: "In 2013, Dikeman and her then-boyfriend Dustin Barnes were convicted of felony child neglect." Additionally, Document 2 reports that Jenah Love (biological mother) was "serving a five-year sentence for assaulting Dikeman with a baseball bat" in 2019, and Derek Pedrin was arrested on domestic abuse charges in November 2022, before the child's death in February 2023.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The second news article (Document 2) reports that the biological mother's letter to CPS stated: "In Josie's residence, there is alcohol and drug abuse." She also wrote: "There is excessive alcohol and substance abuse." Additionally, the criminal complaint states that Derek Pedrin was arrested for "violating a no-alcohol provision of his signature bond," indicating a recognized alcohol issue.
Notable Details
Several notable systemic details emerge from the documents. The night before Alexavier was found dead, his cousin Raven Holzer called emergency dispatch requesting a welfare check. Per Document 2, "police looked in on Alexavier, who was covered by a blanket and sleeping, but took no action to remove anyone from the home." He was found dead the following day. Additionally, CPS was actively assessing a January 16, 2023 report of physical abuse by Dikeman at the time of Alexavier's death. Multiple family members and the biological mother (writing from prison) had contacted CPS multiple times but, as Holzer and Anderson stated, "got no results." The biological mother specifically requested unannounced CPS visits so Dikeman could not "prepare and manipulate the situation." Furthermore, Derek Pedrin's arrest on domestic abuse charges in November 2022, with a resulting no-contact order with Dikeman, effectively left Dikeman—who had a prior felony conviction for child neglect—as the sole primary caregiver for Alexavier and the other children, yet no intervention occurred to address this dangerous arrangement.
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