Brandon and Cynthia Ross became concerned after noticing their baby’s leg was swollen. Even though Ryder was not crying excessively, had no bruises, red marks, or any outward signs of injury other than the swelling, the couple took him to the doctor for an examination.
After performing some x-rays and finding the infant with multiple fractures throughout his body, the doctors sent the family to the Maine Medical Center (MMC) for further evaluation. Before the couple understood the depths of the evaluation, they were deemed guilty of child abuse by officials at MMC.
Six days after Ryder was admitted to the hospital, the state of Maine chose to remove both Ryder and his two-year-old sister Rosalynn from their parents’ care.
On June 12, 2014 Brandon, a twenty-five year old father, was indicted on twelve counts of child abuse and was arrested by Bath, Maine police. After being transported to the local jail, he received death threats from other inmates. The threats were taken so seriously that the jail provided Brandon with private accommodations for his safety.
On Father’s Day of 2014, just days after Brandon’s arrest, after telling the family he believed the state was out to get Brandon, Ryder’s seventy-four year old grandfather committed suicide, after writing a note falsely claiming responsibility for Ryder’s injuries.
In October of 2014, the true cause of the baby’s fractures was finally discovered. The little guy suffered from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). He, his mother, and his grandmother were diagnosed by Dr. Michael Holick at the Boston University Medical Center.
