REMEMBERING CAMRYN

 

Camryn Jakeb Wilson entered the world with people already celebrating him.

 

He was born at 12:33 a.m. on January 1, 2008, becoming the first baby born in Summit County that year.

 

His arrival was happy news.

 

His parents appeared excited about their new son, and photographs from the beginning of Camryn’s life captured a tiny baby surrounded by a family that believed they were beginning a new year with something wonderful.

 

Camryn’s mother, Crystal, later remembered him as an unusually content baby who rarely cried.

 

He was still so new to the world.

 

He had not yet learned to crawl.

 

He had not taken a first step.

 

He had not spoken a first word.

 

He had barely reached twelve weeks of life when violence inside his own home caused catastrophic injuries from which he would never recover.

 

CAMRYN’S STORY

 

On March 12, 2008, Camryn was approximately two and a half months old.

 

His mother, Crystal, was away from the home.

 

Camryn was in the care of his father, Craig Wilson.

 

When Crystal returned, she found her baby unresponsive.

 

Camryn was rushed to Akron Children’s Hospital with devastating injuries to his brain and body.

 

Doctors discovered severe bleeding and damage involving his brain and retinas.

 

Craig eventually admitted that he had violently shaken his infant son.

 

The abuse had caused catastrophic brain damage.

 

Camryn remained hospitalized for nearly two weeks.

 

During that time, specialists determined that the damage to his brain was irreversible.

 

He could not survive independently.

 

His family faced the devastating decision to remove him from life support.

 

On March 25, 2008, Camryn died.

 

He was only 84 days old.

 

The autopsy revealed another disturbing finding.

 

Camryn had more than 20 rib fractures.

 

Some were older than others.

 

That meant at least some of the injuries had occurred before the final assault that sent him to the hospital.

 

The older fractures raised questions about whether Camryn had suffered previous episodes of abuse that had gone undetected.

 

No additional person was charged in connection with those injuries.

 

The police investigation ultimately focused on Craig.

 

Camryn had entered the world as Summit County’s celebrated New Year’s baby.

 

Less than three months later, his life had been ended by violence from the person responsible for protecting him.

 

WARNING SIGNS

 

Camryn was too young to tell anyone when he was hurt.

 

He could not explain pain.

 

He could not identify the person causing it.

 

He depended entirely on the adults around him to recognize when something was wrong.

 

After his death, the autopsy revealed more than 20 fractured ribs, including fractures that were older and already healing.

 

Those injuries had not been recognized during Camryn’s life.

 

The discovery demonstrated how vulnerable infants are to hidden abuse.

 

A baby may have no visible way to communicate what is happening behind closed doors.

 

Unexplained injuries, unusual tenderness, changes in feeding, excessive distress when handled or other signs that something may be physically wrong with an infant require careful attention.

 

Camryn never had the ability to ask someone to protect him.

 

He needed the adults around him to do that for him.

 

JUSTICE FOR CAMRYN

 

Craig Wilson was initially charged with murder after Camryn died.

 

He originally entered a plea of not guilty.

 

As the criminal case progressed, Craig acknowledged shaking Camryn.

 

In March 2009, nearly one year after the assault, Craig pleaded guilty in connection with his son’s death.

 

During the proceedings, he acknowledged that he had shaken and squeezed Camryn.

 

He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

 

Craig Richard Wilson

 

Relationship to Camryn: Father

 

Conviction: Murder

 

Outcome: Guilty plea

 

Sentence: 15 years to life in prison

 

FOREVER REMEMBERED

 

Camryn Jakeb Wilson was born only minutes into a new year.

 

For his family, January 1, 2008 should have marked the beginning of decades of memories.

 

Instead, Camryn was given only 84 days.

 

His name became associated with shaken baby awareness because of the terrible way his life ended.

 

But Camryn was not born to become an example of child abuse.

 

He was born to live.

 

He was the New Year’s baby whose arrival brought excitement.

 

He was the tiny son his mother remembered as a peaceful baby who rarely cried.

 

He should have learned to sit up.

 

He should have crawled across the floor.

 

He should have taken his first steps.

 

He should have grown teeth instead of having an autopsy reveal broken ribs.

 

He should have celebrated the first birthday that would never come.

 

Camryn’s life began with an entire community welcoming a new baby into a new year.

 

The person responsible for protecting him took away everything that should have followed.

 

Camryn was here.

 

He was loved.

 

And the twelve short weeks he lived mattered.

 

Abuse Angels remembers Camryn Jakeb Wilson.

 

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.