After enduring the devastating loss of her 3-month-old daughter at the hands of the child’s father in May 2025, Caitlin Gibson’s shock and grief were compounded when she was charged with murder alongside the man who, by his eventual admission, had committed the violent acts that led to the child’s death. Her attorneys, Ansell Grimm & Aaron’s Mitchell Ansell, Hillary Bryce, and Hoda Soliman recently secured both her release from custody and the agreement of Ocean County prosecutors to dismiss the charges against her.
As reported in multiple media outlets, including New Jersey 101.5 and Toms River Patch, both Gibson and the child’s father, Ruben Santiago, were charged with murder on May 7, 2025, following an autopsy which determined the baby suffered a subdural hematoma, two skull fractures, seven healing rib fractures, and a fractured wrist that was also in the process of healing at the time of death. The Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
While Santiago initially gave conflicting information to police about the circumstances surrounding the child’s injuries and death, he ultimately accepted full responsibility for the abuse and stated that Gibson was not present when the injuries were inflicted.
As Ansell told the Asbury Park Press, Santiago had “completely absolved Caitlin of any wrongdoing and knowledge of this crime.” He said Santiago said Gibson was not home when Santiago beat the baby, a fact confirmed by investigations by both his investigator and the prosecutor’s detectives.
On January 15, 2026, Santiago pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter. Simultaneously, Gibson was released from jail and placed on the lowest level of pretrial monitoring. We expect that all charges against her will be dropped when Santiago is sentenced on March 4, 2026. He is expected to receive up to 25 years in prison.
“From day one, Caitlin and her family have maintained her innocence,” Ansell said in a written statement received by New Jersey 101.5, calling his client’s release the “light at the end of the criminal justice tunnel.”
That light includes Gibson’s reunion with her family, including her other child.
“It is our hope that Caitlin and her family will now be able to appropriately mourn the loss of her beloved daughter,” Ansell said. “Caitlin is immensely grateful for all who have supported her during this time of unimaginable grief.”