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Man charged in Silas Ojeda's death says boy got high on secondhand meth smoke, fell and died

Posted at 11:55 AM, Oct 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-31 20:45:12-04

CHEYENNE, Wyoming -- The man charged in the death of his girlfriend's 13-month-old son told his girlfriend and investigators several lies about the boy before saying the boy appeared to become high on secondhand meth smoke, fell off a counter, hit his head and died, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by Denver7.

Logan Rogers is charged with manslaughter and child endangering. He remains held on a $500,000 bond and is next due in court Nov. 9 for a preliminary hearing.

The boy, 13-month-old Silas Ojeda, was reported missing by his grandfather on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

When deputies interviewed Ojeda's mother, Rhiannon Ojeda, she told police she saw her son on Saturday, October 22, then went to work, leaving Silas in the care of her boyfriend, Logan Rogers, the affidavit said.

During Rhiannon's interview with police, she began crying and started yelling at her dad, saying "everyone's going to blame me, it was an accident," the affidavit said.

When asked what was an accident, Rhiannon said, "Like, he was overwhelmed and everything. No one really just gives a baby to someone, that's not a normal thing to do," according to the affidavit.

Rogers told investigators that he gave the boy "to a friend named Santiago who was going to take S.O. [Silas Ojeda] fishing for a day or two so that Logan and Rhiannon could spend time together," according to the affidavit.

Rogers told investigators he didn't know Santiago's last name, where he lived or his phone number.

Rogers told deputies he only spoke to Santiago for five to ten minutes when "he agreed to have Santiago take S.O. with him," the affidavit said.

Deputies working on the investigation found Rogers was Facebook friends with a Santiago Gardea.

Gardea told investigators he didn't have anything to do with the disappearance of the child and denied taking the child into his care.

Gardea told deputies that he had known Rogers "for a couple years, and they met while they were incarcerated together in prison. Gardea and Rogers were cell mates," the affidavit said.

Investigators said when they confronted Rogers with Gardea's statement, Rogers said that he was not being honest about "Santiago" having the boy, but instead said members of the Sons of Silence had taken the boy, the affidavit said.

Then Rogers told investigators the Silas had fallen off the counter at home on Thursday, Oct. 20 and hit his head, the affidavit said. Rogers told investigators Silas died the next day and that he wrapped the boy in a white comforter and disposed of him in a dumpster near Larimer County Community College, according to the affidavit.

During a second interview with investigators, Rogers said he took Rhiannon to work on Thursday, Oct. 20, then took Silas to a friend's house, where multiple people were smoking methamphetamine.

Rogers said it appeared Silas got high from the meth exposure, according to the affidavit.

Rogers said Silas got warm to the touch, so he gave him a bath, then drove around for two hours delivering meth he bought for his customers, according to affidavit.

Authorities have not said when they believe the boy died -- on Oct. 20, Oct. 22, or another day.

The affidavit did say that, "According to Rhiannon Ojeda and Logan Rogers, Rogers was the last person to have the care, custody and control of S.O. [Silas Ojeda] while he was alive, and that Logan Rogers is responsible for the child's death."

Deputies said during their investigation that they interviewed the father of another child of Rhiannon's.

He told deputies he saw Silas on Oct. 17 or 18 and that the boy had a split lip and half of his face was "puffed up," according to the affidavit.

He said Silas could barely pick his head up.

When he asked on Sunday, Oct. 23, where Silas was, he said Rhiannon told him he boy was at her friend Aubrey's house, according to the affidavit.

When investigators asked Rhiannon about the injuries, Rhiannon told deputies that Silas was learning to walk, was having complications, and he fell and smacked his face on the floor, according to the affidavit.

Search for the child's body

Wyoming officials said the dumpster from Laramie County Community College was taken to a landfill in Ault, Colorado.

Investigators planned to searched the landfill, but were delayed by the permitting process and high winds.

Captain Linda Gesell with the Laramie County Sheriff's Office said Rogers led authorities on a "goose chase" over the weekend.

Gesell said Rogers told officials he buried the boy in Albany County. However, cadaver dogs turned up nothing. 

Gesell said her office also followed a lead about the boy having been buried under the Cheyenne trailer where he lived. That search also turned up nothing.

The landfill search is currently scheduled to start Tuesday.

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