"Infant John Doe" - Travis Dean Ryks (suspect) - Willmar MN

WILLMAR — An arrest warrant has been issued for Travis Dean Ryks,
25, of Willmar, on a first-degree assault charge for allegedly shaking
an infant and causing what doctors said is a life-threatening injury
attributable to child abuse.The complaint against Ryks was
filed — and the warrant issued — Thursday in Kandiyohi County District
Court. Doctors involved in the child’s medical treatment told
investigators that the child’s injuries were not accidental and that the
injuries could not have been suffered in a fall off a bed, which Ryks
said happened while he was caring for the child on Feb. 1.He
allegedly told the child’s mother than he found the child lying face
down on the floor, having fallen off a bed while Ryks was changing his
diaper and ran to another room to get baby wipes. The mother arrived
home and found that the infant “seemed kind of out of it, like not
really that responsive.”Later on Feb. 1, the child began
twitching and was taken to Rice Memorial Hospital, where he had a
seizure and a CAT scan found blood on his brain. The baby was
transferred to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where he
was in intensive care until Feb. 23 and remains hospitalized.The
complaint notes that as of March 10, the child is on anti-seizure
medication, has a feeding tube, is not moving his left side in a normal
fashion and that his eyes are not tracking properly. The child has also
had two serious seizures during which he nearly died.Ryks
allegedly admitted to the child’s mother than he’d shaken the baby.

Travis Dean Ryks, 25, of Willmar, pleaded not guilty Monday to a
first-degree assault charge for allegedly shaking a 2-month-old baby and
inflicting a traumatic brain injury.The plea was entered during
an omnibus hearing in Kandiyohi County District Court. During the
hearing, Scott Belfry, Ryks’ public defense attorney, argued that there
is no probable cause for the first-degree charge, which is based on
great bodily harm. The child, now almost 7 months old, is in foster care
and is doing well, Belfry argued before District Judge Donald M.
Spilseth.Connie Crowell, first assistant county attorney and the
prosecutor in the case, argued that the boy has no eyesight, requires
physical and occupational therapy, has deficits in ability to use the
left side of his body and requires assistance with feeding.Crowell
also noted that recent electroencephalography test showed the boy’s
brain continues to be abnormal with seizures that can be measured by the
EEG test.Spilseth set a deadline of July 9 for the attorneys to
file legal briefs and responses. After that date, the judge will take
the case under advisement.During the hearing, Belfry also noted
that his client is seeking a jury trial. Belfry’s motion that Ryks’ bail
be reduced, from $80,000 unconditional and $5,000 cash with conditions,
was denied.According to the complaint, doctors involved in the
child’s medical treatment told investigators that the child’s injuries
were not accidental and that the injuries could not have been suffered
in a fall off a bed, which Ryks said happened while he was caring for
the child on Feb. 1.He allegedly told the child’s mother that he
found the child lying face down on the floor, having fallen off a bed
while Ryks was changing his diaper and ran to another room to get baby
wipes. The mother arrived home and found that the infant “seemed kind of
out of it, like not really that responsive.”Later on Feb. 1, the
child began twitching and was taken to Rice Memorial Hospital, where he
had a seizure and a CAT scan found blood on his brain. The baby was
transferred to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Ryks allegedly admitted to the child’s mother than he’d shaken the baby.An
HCMC doctor told investigators the child would most likely survive but
“will most likely not be normal,” according to the complaint.