Toddler was beaten to death at Columbia home, now more arrests are made, police say
After a 3-year-old boy was beaten to death in a Columbia home in November, an acquaintance of his mother was arrested.
More charges were filed against Bobby Ramos, Jr., and his roommate was also arrested for his role in the toddler’s death, the Columbia Police Department said Tuesday.
Both Ramos, 23, and Jose Cancino, 30, are charged with homicide by child abuse and two counts of felony animal cruelty, police said in a news release.
After Richland County Coroner Gary Watts determined Leo Mateo Pacheco died of blunt force trauma to the head and body, Ramos was arrested Nov. 19, police said.
Leo was discovered by his mother in a home at 2312 Manse St. and was taken to a local hospital where he died, police said. The home is near the intersection of Columbia College Drive and Farrow Road.
Leo’s 4-year-old brother was taken into emergency protective custody by officers and the South Carolina Department of Social Services, police said.
Information on the 4-year-old’s condition was not available.
Code enforcement officers were also called to the home because it had no heat or hot water, and officers found various plumbing and sanitation concerns, according to the release.
During the investigation, officers found three cats living in deplorable conditions, according to the release. Two of the cats met the standards for animal cruelty charges because they were “kept in small carrying cages, covered in feces with no food or water,” police said.
The animals were seized by animal control and a veterinarian determined the cats were in poor condition, “having been inflicted with repeated and unnecessary pain and suffering,” according to the release.
While no bond was set on the homicide charge, a $50,000 surety bond was issued on the animal cruelty charges for Ramos, who remains behind bars at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show.
A $10,000 bond was set for Cancino on the animal abuse charges, and he is still locked up at the Richland County jail, according to records.
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