A Round Lake Beach woman and her boyfriend appeared in court for the first time, both facing first-degree murder and child endangerment charges.

It comes two days after her 8-year-old son was found dead in their home from apparent abuse and malnourishment. 

Neighbors with white balloons in hand created a vigil for the child.

“Today we are going down to pay our respects and stuff to the family,” said Sharon Renae Bell with Activities for Kids and Seniors.

They said they were shocked and hurt to hear that a boy who lived in the Cedar Villas rental community was found dead behind the memorial inside the townhouse with the yellow tag on the door.

“I was just like, oh my god, like crying, like this is terrible. I have six children, I have 14 grandkids, I couldn’t even imagine something like that to a child,” Aneshia Dougherty.

Dougherty says her daughter-in-law moved in a few doors down a couple of months ago.

She said the boy’s mother, 33-year-old Dominique Servant, and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Joey Ruffin, charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment, but kept to themselves.

Dougherty said she does not remember seeing the 8-year-old or his 10-year-old sister outside often, but they were surprised to see police at the complex Friday night.

Another neighbor said she would see the 8-year-old boy struggling to take the trash out. She also said the boy and his sister would take the bus to school, but she had not seen them at the bus stop in the last year.

“I now think of that other sibling, the 10-year-old, who now has to live their life without their sibling, probably in foster care,” said Char Rivette, CEO of Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center

Rivette said she worries for the 10-year-old sibling who will need therapy and counseling to cope with what she’s dealt with.

The Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center said the sibling also had signs of abuse and malnourishment. 

Now the community is wondering if the tragedy could have been prevented.

“Where were these kids in terms of access to community? Did they go school? Were they actively engaged in school? How long did they live in the place they were living?” Rivette said.

Neighbors said they wish they had known and been more aware of what was going on behind the family’s door.

“We could have talked to them, you know, talked to the children, talked to the parent to see what was going on – can we help in any kind of way and stuff, you know?” Bell said.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement on Sunday:

“This eight-year-old child should still be alive, and this horrific crime was preventable. In light of the ongoing nature of this investigation, the moral mandate that we secure justice, and the need to hold every responsible party accountable, we will be providing limited information prior to a full presentment of charges to the grand jury. 

“I will say this: if you see signs of a child being abused or malnourished, report it. If you need help as a parent, get it. If you are abusing your child, stop it now. If you are abusing your child or criminally neglecting their basic needs, and that child dies, you will be prosecuted for murder in Lake County.”

CBS Chicago reached out to the Department of Children and Family Services to see if there was an active case involving this family.

In a statement, they said: 

“The death of a child is profoundly heartbreaking, especially when the alleged perpetrators are the ones that are supposed to protect and care for the child. This family was not receiving services from DCFS and the Department is actively working with Round Lake law enforcement to investigate the circumstances around this child’s death.  Illinois law restricts the information DCFS can share about child abuse and neglect investigations and we are unable to provide further comment about the specifics of this case at this time.”

Servant and Ruffin have a detention hearing in Lake County on Monday afternoon.

Jeramie Bizzle

contributed to this report.

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