Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
MARQUETTE – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Byerly Birge announced that a federal jury convicted Eugene Walter-George Rantanen, (37, L’Anse, Michigan) of murder and first-degree child abuse. Rantanen is scheduled to be sentenced this fall.
On February 19, 2024, a nineteen-month-old toddler became unresponsive while in the sole custody of Rantanen, while the two were inside the L’Anse Reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. After extensive medical intervention, the child succumbed to the injuries and died on February 24, 2024. Based on the medical examiner’s testimony at trial, the toddler had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, which caused significant injuries to the brain. Based on government-witness testimony at trial, the only plausible explanation for the toddler’s injuries was that Rantanen caused the severe brain injuries.
“Any time a child dies, it is a tragedy. But it is particularly tragic when a caretaker causes the death,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Birge. “My office will hold individuals like Rantanen accountable for their violent crimes whenever it can.”
“This conviction confirms that Eugene Rantanen will no longer pose a threat to anyone, especially our children,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This outcome results from a thorough and cooperative investigation with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Village of L’Anse Police, the Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. I extend my deepest condolences to those who truly loved the young victim—no one should ever have to endure such a heartbreaking loss.”
The FBI, Michigan State Police, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, and Village of L’Anse Police investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis Sanford and Jeanne Long are prosecuting it.
This case was part of the Department of Justice’s work to combat the missing and murder indigenous person’s (MMIP) crisis. Per the Bureau of Indian Affairs, “For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have struggled with high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. Community advocates describe the crisis as a legacy of generations of government policies of forced removal, land seizures and violence inflicted on Native peoples.” The BIA website has more information about the MMIP crisis at https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis.