A tragic story has taken an even more horrifying turn after new information has come to light. It began on Thursday night, when Patricia Ripley reported her son, 9-year-old Alejandro Ripley, missing. An Amber alert was put out for the nonverbal autistic boy.
Patricia recapped a terrifying scene to police. She explained that Alejandro had been kidnapped in front of her after they were blocked in by an unfamiliar car that had been following them. Patricia said that two males exited the car and came up to her car demanding drugs. When she didn't comply, she said they stole her phone and grabbed Alejandro before driving off.
It wasn't until after the little boy's body was found in a pond near the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club that the truth came out. Police say that Patricia fabricated the entire story of the kidnapping. By Sunday morning, Miami-Dade state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle revealed that Patricia was responsible for her son's death.
Alejandro Ripley's life was cut tragically short in a story that confounds many. The 9-year-old boy, who was nonverbal and autistic, was reported missing on Thursday night. His mother, Patricia Ripley, claimed that she was driving with Alejandro when she noticed a car following them.
Patricia claimed the car tried to side-swipe her before blocking her in on a street in Miami. She said that two unknown black men came up to the car wearing all black clothing and black bandannas as face masks. They demanded drugs, and when Patricia couldn't provide, she said one man grabbed her phone while the other grabbed Alejandro.
An Amber alert was issued as officers worked hard to find the boy. It was called off the next morning when his body was discovered in a pond at the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club. As those who knew Alejandro mourned his loss, they had no idea what a sinister turn the story would take next.
Patricia was arrested at 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, after giving police conflicting statements on the events of Thursday night. She was charged with the first-degree murder of Alejandro. She later admitted to fabricating the story of the kidnapping.
Authorities revealed that Patricia tried killing Alejandro earlier in the day on Thursday. Video footage shows her pushing her son into a canal in West Kendall. A Good Samaritan who didn't see the push and believed the child had fallen in rushed to rescue him.
"An hour later, she brought the boy to a different canal … this time, there was no one there to save him," Miami-Dade state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a Saturday morning press conference.
Alejandro previously attended a special needs school in his area and received tutoring at home. Investigators believe that having to care for him in an increased capacity in recent months motivated Patricia to kill Alejandro.
Sources close to the case told CBS4 that Patricia admitted to having thought about ending her son's life for some time. She struggled to physically restrain him during outbursts as he got older. Many believe she was concerned with how she would be able to handle him in the future.
In her confession, Patricia reportedly stated that she believed Alejandro would be "in a better place." Her family, which consists of an older son and her husband, both named Aldo Ripley, are standing by her.
"We love Alejandro and we do not believe whatever they said about my wife. It's not real," the boy's father said as he burst into tears.
"There is obviously a great deal of support for her. By all accounts, she has been an excellent mother, an excellent person," said defense attorney Nelson Rodríguez-Varela.
"At this time, we're assembling a legal team in order to make sure that her rights are respected and that she has the opportunity to vindicate her good name and move forward as best she can from this situation."
"But now it's important that people recognize this is a good family, that these are people that have led very private lives under very difficult circumstances. With young Alejandro's situation, they've always been very supportive."
Aside from being horrified by what authorities say she did to her son, many people have also noted the dangerous tactic Patricia engaged in by telling police that black men were responsible for her son's abduction. It's drawn parallels to Susan Smith, a South Carolina woman who drove a car into a lake with her two children in it but falsely told police she had been carjacked by a black man while in the vehicle with her kids.
"For her to place blame of her crime on another community, it's just as well another crime that was committed. It’s very disappointing,” Miami-Dade police director Alfredo Ramirez told reporters Saturday.
Patricia is currently being held with no bond on a count of first-degree murder. She is also charged with attempted first-degree murder. The charges make her eligible to face the death penalty under Florida law.
An organization that works with special needs children is hoping to make something positive come out of this unspeakable tragedy. Friendship Circle Miami director Rabbi Yossi Harlig explained the impact the story had on his network despite not being personally acquainted with the family.
"The special needs community feels very heartbroken," he told CBS4. "It's very painful, and they want to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"You feel like you're all part of the same family. You identify with each other. You understand each other. I felt right away that we need to do something," he continued.
The organization held a vigil in Alejandro's honor. It also established the Lifeline Project, a safe space for struggling parents to reach out for help.
"One of the big things I see is being the emotional support for the families, so that they can have an outlet – someone to call, that they can talk to and get advice on where to go," the rabbi noted.
"People want to help you. People want to be there for you. People care about you. You just have to reach out," he said.
