Woman In Custody As A Result Of Investigation Into The Death Of A 6YO

[Sugar Cookie]

A woman is in custody as a result of an investigation into the suspicious death of 6-year-old Alexavier Pedrin.

According to a media release from the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, on May 19, 2023, Josie Dikeman was arrested on the suspicion of 1st degree intentional homicide after an investigation.

According to an initial media release from the Sheriff’s Office, first responders were called to a home in the Town of Medary for an unresponsive child on Feb. 11, 2023, at 9:26 a.m.

When first responders arrived, they attempted life-saving measures, however, the child died.

MSN

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[Sugar Cookie]

In 2013, Dikeman and her then-boyfriend Dustin Barnes were convicted of felony child neglect after a social worker reported Barnes's 3-year-old daughter had lost weight and hair since returning to their home from foster care. A doctor found old and new fractures in the child's hands and feet that were consistent with being hit with a blunt object.

The child told investigators she had been hit by Dikeman and Barnes, and family members told police the 3-year-old was only allowed three drinks a day so she would not wet her pants and was often barricaded in her room with toys out of reach. The child was also forced to stand for timeouts lasting up to 90 minutes and made to sit on the toilet for up to 45 minutes with her hands in the air.

When the same child was younger than 2 years old, she was treated for a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury at Gundersen Health System, which staff reported to police. Dikeman told investigators at the time that the girl fell down the stairs, as the child gate was broken and she couldn't afford to fix it.
In fall 2013, Dikeman was given three years' probation by former La Crosse County Judge Dale Passel and was ordered to one year of electronic monitoring, enrollment in drug treatment court and no contact with the victim or Barnes.

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A woman arrested for the death of a 6-year-old boy was previously found guilty of felony child neglect after a girl in her care suffered fractures and was subjected to

lacrossetribune.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A 16-page criminal complaint outlines the evidence against Dikeman. It includes interviews with family members including children, several medical professionals, and Pedrin's father.

The case goes back to February 11, 2023, when La Crosse County Sheriff's Office deputies went to a home in the Town of Medary.

The complaint begins with describing how deputies found Pedrin on a bed and began first aid on the child including CPR and a dose of Narcan. The complaint said that as they did so, one deputy said it appeared "very stiff as if rigor had already set in."

Pedrin was pronounced dead by medical personnel 17 minutes after the initial call to 9-1-1, the complaint said.

It also detailed a number of blunt force injuries on Pedrin discovered in an autopsy done in Rochester by Dr. Reade Quinton shortly after Pedrin's death. The injuries included "blunt force injuries to the head and neck" and "multiple contusions of the chest and back" along with a "fractured rib."


It also said that Pedrin had the drug Xanax contributed to the death.

At the end of the section on the autopsy results, it said, "Based on the case history and autopsy findings, it is Dr. Quinton’s opinion that Alexavier J. Pedrin, a 6-year-old boy, died as a result of blunt force trauma. The toxic effects of alprazolam [Xanax] contributed to the cause of death. The manner of death is classified as homicide."

Interviews done by investigators after Pedrin's death include children and provided instances where Dikeman would hit or choke Pedrin. In mid-January, those young witnesses said in the complaint that Dikeman "bent his (Pedrin) leg forward, toward his head." It was later discovered that Pedrin's leg was broken. At the time, it was blamed on a younger child pushing Pedrin down some stairs, something the child later denied doing when speaking to another child, the complaint said.

The complaint said that on February 10, the day before Pedrin's death, a La Crosse County Sheriff's Office deputy did a welfare check at the home. The deputy saw that Pedrin was sleeping.

From the complaint: "Sgt. Kernin attempted to speak with Alexavier a couple of times; however, he was sleeping and apparently very tired, and did not wake to have any sort of conversation. Josie explained that the whole house, including Alexavier, was just getting over Covid and she had just given him some melatonin as well."

The complaint said the deputy saw a small bruise on Pedrin's outer left thigh but "did not cause severe concern believing he was in immediate danger. Josie said he often gets little bumps or bruises from the other kids, which Sgt. Kernin has seen to be very active, and even during his contact with Alexavier, another child in the house was knocking on his leg cast, as though knocking on a door."

When deputies returned to the home 15 hours later, Pedrin was dead.

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www.wxow.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

More than 3-years after the death of 6-year-old Alexavier Pedrin, his family is finally getting justice. The jury found Josie Dikeman guilty on all counts. “Our family needed this. The children involved needed to have a precedent set for them, and Alex deserves justice. So… the person that did this doesn’t deserve to continue being free when there’s a debt that just can’t be repaid.”

An autopsy showed the boy died of blunt force trauma, and that the toxic effects of a prescribed sedative were a contributing factor in his death. “We, the jury, find Josie Dikeman guilty of reckless homicide as charged in count one of the information. We, the jury, find Josie Dikeman guilty of chronic neglect of a child, consequences is death, as charged in count two of information. We, the jury, find Josie Dikeman guilty of physical abuse of a child, repeated acts causing death as charged in count three of information.”

Pedrin’s family says they are relieved after waiting years for closure. They say, now that the trial is over, some weight is lifted from their shoulders. “Just the fact that we finally hit a brink of accountability, it’s very relieving because it’s all we’ve been fighting for the last three years. Even after he passed, we had to wait four months for the arrest, so this has been very relieving.”

https://www.wiproud.com/news/local-news/josie-dikemanfound-guilty-on-all-counts-in-alexavier-pedrin-murder-trial/