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Mom of NJ boy, 6, who died in Ocean County says dad Abused him

mom of nj boy 6 who died in ocean county says dad abused him
Bre Micciolo/GoFundMe

The mother of a 6-year-old boy who died at an Ocean County hospital three months ago has said that the Barnegat man now facing a criminal charge in connection with the death is the child’s father.

Christopher Gregor faced one count of child endangerment as of Monday, as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stressed that circumstances leading to the boy’s death remain an active investigation. Authorities had not publicly identified Gregor as the boy's father as of Tuesday.

On Facebook and in an online petition, Breanna Miccolo has said that her son Corey's death in April followed nearly two years of what she reported to the state as abusive injuries during the boy’s stays with Gregor.

"For 2 years I begged child protective services to help me get him away from his abuser. No one listened or helped, the day before he died I asked a judge through an emergent order to allow me to have full custody pending a [Division of Child Protection and Permanency] investigation outcome. That judge denied it and the very next day my son was gone," Miccolo said in an online petition started two weeks before the announcement of Gregor's arrest.

mom of nj boy 6 who died in ocean county says dad abused him
Ocean County Jail

The 29-year-old Gregor surrendered himself to Barnegat Township Police on Friday, stemming from an incident about two weeks before the young boy's death on April 2, according to authorities.

Evidence that Gregor had committed acts of abuse against the child on March 20 was recovered after the boy's death, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

Donations to a GoFundMe setup by Ashley Reynolds to benefit Miccolo would help the grieving mother purchase the burial plot next to the young child, while also finalizing payment on the boy's headstone. The campaign had collected nearly $1,800 as of Tuesday.

Further proceeds would be donated to a local child abuse charity and possibly a scholarship in Corey's name for survivors of child abuse, according to the GoFundMe summary.

Authored by New Jersey 101.5 via New Jersey 101.5 July 14th 2021

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