Four grueling months later, a father who starved his child and left him decomposing inside their Wisconsin home, has finally been captured.
Romuan J. Moyes, 45, was taken into custody by Milwaukee police on Sunday and is being held at a $500,000 bond following a several month nationwide manhunt.
Moyes’ 12-year-old son, identified as Jacarie Robinson by family, was found in a severely decomposed state, wrapped up in a blanket on a couch at a home in Milwaukee on October 10th.
The boy’s body was extremely malnourished and emaciated, with moderate decomposition of the body. Police believe the boy had died weeks before they found him.
After discovering Robinson’s body, authorities began searching for Moyes in connection to the boy’s death, which has been investigated as a homicide.
Moyes has been arrested on several felony charges including 1st-degree reckless homicide, three counts of chronic neglect of a child and failure to report the death of a child.
Upon his appearance in court in Milwaukee on Monday, Moyes was issued a court order of no contact with his three surviving children. At the time of the initial criminal complaint, Robinson was the only one of Moyes’ children who was under his care.
Moyes’ other two children had been staying with their mother at the time he was looking after Robinson. His 21-year old son went to check on his dad and brother on October 10th because his dad wasn’t responding to any of his texts.
When Jordan went inside the home he noticed no one was there, but taking a second glance, he noticed a foot sticking out of a cabinet. Upon opening the cabinet door, Jordan was shocked and mortified to find his dead brother’s body inside. His face was partially eaten by maggots while decomposing.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Robinson’s brother Jordan said. “Just from getting the call and then progressing to today, I woke up and I was just really thinking in my thoughts like, ‘Dang my little brother’s really gone’. I’ll never forget the image of him inside that cabinet for the rest of my life.”
“I was at work and I got the call and just, man, traumatizing,” Jordan added. “I definitely want answers. It hurt me just as much as it hurt anybody else.”
Moyes is due to appear in court for the preliminary hearing on March 4. If he is convicted, he could face a $45,000 fine and up to 82 years in prison.
Jordan attended a vigil for Robinson with their siblings and family on Wednesday evening. The group released green balloons in tribute to the 12-year-old.
