A Minnesota case involving the death of a young child is moving toward a resolution—but not without raising disturbing new questions about what the toddler endured in his final days.

Shiann Lynn Erickson, 24, is expected to plead guilty in connection with the 2024 death of 3-year-old Eastyn Deronjic, a case that has shocked the local community due to the extent of the child’s injuries and the circumstances surrounding his care.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, authorities were called to an apartment in Moorhead, Minnesota, in the early morning hours of March 18, 2024, after receiving a report that a child was not breathing. When first responders arrived, they found Eastyn severely bruised and unresponsive. Despite emergency efforts, the toddler died shortly after being transported to the hospital.

What investigators later uncovered painted a far more troubling picture.

According to court documents referenced in earlier reporting, an autopsy revealed that Eastyn died from a blunt force injury that perforated his bowel—a catastrophic internal injury. In addition to the fatal trauma, the child had dozens of other injuries, suggesting a pattern of repeated abuse rather than a single incident.

Authorities allege that Eastyn and his younger sibling had been staying for an extended period with Erickson and her co-defendant, Rosa (Mason) Garza, who were both friends of the children’s family.

Garza has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Erickson, who was also facing a second-degree murder charge, had initially been scheduled to go to trial but has now reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Details from the investigation have continued to draw attention.

In the hours leading up to Eastyn’s death, a witness who arrived at the home described the child as visibly ill, vomiting, and asking for water before suddenly becoming unresponsive. Earlier explanations for his injuries—such as falls from a bike or accidental hits—were later contradicted by medical findings.

Perhaps most troubling were messages recovered from phones during the investigation. In one exchange, Erickson allegedly told Garza to “go beat on her kid,” a statement that prosecutors say undercuts claims that she was unaware of any abuse.

Family members had also previously been told that Eastyn’s bruises were the result of clumsiness—described as the boy being “uncoordinated”—a claim that now appears starkly at odds with the severity of his injuries.

The case has also raised broader concerns about how long the abuse may have gone unnoticed, and whether there were missed opportunities to intervene.

Eastyn’s younger sibling has since been placed in protective custody.

Erickson is scheduled to formally enter her guilty plea in early April. While the exact terms of the plea deal have not yet been fully detailed, the development signals a major step toward closing a case that has left many grappling with its tragic outcome.

For those following the story, one fact remains painfully clear: a young life was lost under circumstances that investigators say should never have been allowed to happen.