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In Madison County, jurors find man guilty in death of toddler

Ryan Ramirez could go to prison for life
Posted at 3:52 PM, Feb 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-18 15:52:49-05

ANDERSON — Guilty on all counts.

That was the verdict by a Madison County jury Tuesday in the trial of 27-year-old Ryan Ramirez. Jurors spent just a short time in deliberations Tuesday before coming to their decision.

Ramirez was on trial for the death of his girlfriend's 23-month-old daughter and the neglect of her three-year-old son.

Charges include murder, and neglect of a dependent resulting in death. The sentencing phase of the Ramirez trial begins Wednesday and the prosecutor wants him to go to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

26-year-old Kayla Hudson, the girlfriend and mother of the children, pleaded guilty to a pair of neglect charges last year and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Little Paisley Hudson died during the summer of 2018 from head and liver injuries, according to the Madison County Coroner. Her son suffered serious injuries, but survived.

Hudson told investigators that she had gone to work in the evening of July 27, 2018 and left her children in the care of of her boyfriend, Ramirez.

Hudson said she got off work, came home and put the children to bed. She said she then went to a store to buy "creams" to cover bruises on her son's face.

Hudson told investigators that after her daughter had been "sleeping" for nearly seven hours, she became worried and went back to check on her. That's when she found the toddler face down and unresponsive. Paisley was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Anderson Hospital.

Meanwhile, the three-year-old son was taken to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis when doctors at the Anderson hospital noted he was covered in bruises. According to court documents, doctors at Riley found the little boy to be malnourished with numerous cuts, bruises. fractures and cigarette burns on his ankles.

Investigators interviewed Ramirez's two children, ages eight and ten, and were told that their father often hit Paisley.