Father charged in Ashton DeGonzaque's death after Syracuse child case

More than two years after 11-year-old Ashton DeGonzaque died in Syracuse, prosecutors have charged his father, 42-year-old Jeremy DeGonzaque, with criminally negligent homicide and criminal contempt. The case is now moving from a tragedy into a criminal prosecution that raises hard questions about how local systems failed a child living in unsafe conditions.

Ashton died on March 7, 2024, after Syracuse police were called to 604 East Division Street for a report that a child was unconscious and not breathing. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital and died hours later. Investigators have said fentanyl and other illicit drugs were in the boy’s system, and later reporting described a fentanyl package labeled “Fortnite” found in the home.

The death also exposed what city inspectors and police later described as severe problems inside the rented house. Syracuse code-enforcement records said trash, debris, furniture and other items were strewn through the home. An inspector reported that the bathroom sink and bathtub were being used as toilets and were backed up with feces and urine. Urine was also reportedly found in multiple old drink bottles in what appeared to be a child’s bedroom. Mayor Ben Walsh called the conditions “deplorable.” The house had last passed a required rental inspection in 2021.

The delay has also kept scrutiny on Onondaga County Child Protective Services. County officials said the caseworker and supervisor assigned to Ashton resigned on March 27, 2024, after being suspended without pay and with termination proceedings already underway. Ryan McMahon said the county’s early analysis suggested the problem was not systemic, staffing-related or funding-related, and noted that CPS had 134 of 137 positions filled. Officials also said the agency had received numerous complaints about Ashton’s safety and living conditions before his death.

McMahon later appointed retired family court judges Martha Walsh Hood and Martha Mulroy to review the caseworker’s caseload and determine whether other children may also have been at risk. Later reports said Syracuse police had been called to the East Division Street address more than 50 times in the prior year, including a return visit on Christmas Day 2023 after a November 2023 response in which a body was found. Assistant District Attorney Jarrett Woodfork said there was a consensus that the home was not suitable for a child to live in.