KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One family is furious to hear that no one will be charged for allegedly abusing an infant.
Missouri children's division records say that the little boy, Remington, called Remi for short, was abused for multiple days when he was just six weeks old.
Remi's father's family came to KSHB 41 News asking to share his story, telling I-Team reporter Sarah Plake they're worried for his safety if no one is held accountable.
"My son was hurt and all I really want out of this is justice for him," Malaki Neagles said.
Remi, now five months old, was most likely with his mother and her boyfriend when he was abused and neglected, according to a report from the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS).
The abuse was "purposeful instead of accidental," including rib fractures in various stages of healing, a skull fracture, brain bleeding, and long-term brain damage.
"The neighbors had to give him CPR," Remi's great-grandmother, Connie Reed, said.
The state's report said it wasn't until Remi became unresponsive that his mother and her boyfriend took him to the hospital in June when he was six weeks old.
"I'm just saddened by it," Neagles said.
Remi is now in temporary protective custody with Neagles and his family, who say he's doing much better.
"This child couldn't be loved anymore," Reed said. "And we're going to do everything in our power to protect him."
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Reed says they want to see charges but it doesn't look like they're coming. The Jackson County prosecutor's office said there isn't enough evidence to charge anyone right now.
"We want justice for Remi. Remi didn't ask for this," Reed said. "And the people that done this shouldn't be able to walk the streets."
They point the finger squarely at Remi's mother and her boyfriend.
The prosecutor's office couldn't give KSHB 41 details, but the family said they were told prosecutors couldn't pinpoint who exactly allegedly abused Remi.
The DSS report notes Remi's mother gave a few different stories about how he could have gotten those injuries, such as her mother (Remi's maternal grandmother) could have rolled over on him or dropped him. The report says those stories "did not accurately connect with the time frame established through skeletal surveys."
The report said the abuse happened to Remi over the course of seven to 10 days prior to being admitted to the hospital. It noted additional injuries to his lip and tongue area that reportedly happened three to four weeks prior.
The hospital scan diagnosed Remi's injuries as physical abuse.
"I was told by the prosecutor's office that the file is over an inch thick," Beau Knauff, Remi's grandpa, said. "A file over an inch thick, to me, results in some charges."
The family says they're worried about what comes next, especially with family court granting Remi's mother supervised visits but ordering that her boyfriend should have no contact with Remi.
The family says the two are still a couple and living together.
"I am worried about his safety," Neagles said. "'Cause I don't know what's next for him if he does go back."
Meanwhile, Remi has multiple doctor appointments every week from physical therapy to seeing neurologists.
"It doesn't bother us getting him there. It's not about that. It's about he should never be there," Knauff said. "He should have never been in this position."
Reed's message to Jackson County officials: "Do your job. Protect these kids."
KSHB 41 reached out to Remi's mother but hadn't heard back at the time this story was published.
A spokesperson with Independence police, the department that originally investigated Remi's case, said if the prosecutor's office didn't file charges, "the case will be closed unless some kind of new evidence comes up."
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