NJ Baby Given Lethal Dose Of Magnesium, 2 Women Charged: Report

BERGEN COUNTY — Two women from Palisades Park were charged this week after an 11-month-old baby was given a lethal dose of magnesium, according to an affidavit obtained by NJ.com.

Elida Ofelia Medina-Ramos, 73, and the baby’s mother, Enma Medina, 38, were charged Monday in the death of Genesis Catalan on Dec. 7, 2021, Bergen County prosecutors said this week.

Medina-Ramos was charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, third-degree unauthorized practice of medicine and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She is awaiting her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court at Bergen County Jail.

Medina was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare and was released on her own recognizance.

Officers of the Palisades Park Police Department found the child unconscious and not breathing in response to a 911 call.

Medina-Ramos administered medical care to a child, resulting in the child’s death, prosecutors alleged. The investigation also found that Medina allowed Medina-Ramos to administer the medical care, prosecutors said.

According to the NJ.com report, Medina-Ramos gave the child magnesium to treat constipation.

The baby was administered a liquid substance via an oral syringe that contained magnesium, olive oil and water, according to the report. The child was taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Medina-Ramos told police that she was not licensed to practice medicine in the United States, according to the report.