Authorities charged a mother and her boyfriend in the death of her 4 year old child in South Roxana, Illinois. Jeremy Bradford, 4, was pronounced dead at an Alton hospital Saturday. Police said autopsy results showed he had been viciously beaten a day earlier. Authorities charged Sean Starwalt, 33, with first degree murder. Police said it was the first murder case in the town's history.

"[Starwalt] repeatedly struck Jeremiah Bradford who's under the age of 12, about the head, chest, abdomen, knowing that such acts caused a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to Jeremy Bradford," said South Roxana Police Lieutenant, Bob Coles, reading from a court document.

"The forensics is really what pinpointed and helped us secure the warrants on them through what we uncovered in the autopsy [Monday]," he said.



Jeremiah's mother, Patricia Cage, 34, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly not doing enough to help her son upon seeing his injuries Friday.

Starwalt allegedly beat the boy Friday while Cage was away from their apartment in the 600 block of Central Park Place. Police said the two stuck to an explanation that Jeremiah had fallen jumping on furniture, causing his injuries.

"As the pathologist said if [they[ would have sought medical attention immediately, he would still be alive today," Coles said.

Sadly, Jeremiah died a year after his father, Gerald Bradford, died from an illness. Gerald Bradford's family said they treated Cage like a sister; she told them at the hospital that he had fallen.

"It's sad. It's sad," said Jeremiah's uncle, Neal Brown. "No 4 year old boy needs to be treated like that. For the mother, to takes sides for the boyfriend, and not comfort her child she doesn't need to be a parent."

"You're going to let some boyfriend come in, a boyfriend? And do this to him?" said Beverly Bradford, Jeremiah's great aunt. "And you're going to stand by? I wish I could get my hand on her. I wish I could get my hand on her."

Cage's relatives who came to town from their home in Arkansas upon learning of Jeremiah's death said police had it all wrong about her.

They said she believed what Starwalt told her, that it was an accident. They said she called a doctor Friday about the injuries and then insisted her son go to a hospital when his condition seemed to worsen Saturday.

"She didn't know. They're accusing her .. that she knew. She didn't know," said her brother, Charles Cage. "She thought it was an accident just like we all did. When we got the autopsy report, that's when she found out. That's my sister. My sister loves her kids. We're all about our familythe minute she found out about it [the beating] she (was) hysterical."

"My daughter is innocent," said Cage's mother, Bernadette Culp. "She doesn't deserve to be in there [jail]. She has another baby. She needs to be with her baby."

Police said this was the first report of any problems at the home.

Cage and Starwalt are in the Madison County Jail. Cage's bond is set at $150,000. Starwalt's being held without bond.