Detective shocked at sight of starved dead boy

By Lucy Perry
Indiana Central News

ROSEDALE -- The home where a northern Vigo County child spent his short and tragic life is nestled in a pleasant neighborhood, with trees for shade and a recreational camper parked in the back yard. A swingset is nearby.  A red car is idle in the driveway out front, with the hood propped open -- as though it might need a little work. Miscellaneous buidling materials are scattered around the yard. The house is just around the corner from a large park where the annual Fontanet Bean Dinner is held, drawing a large crowd each July.

But little 9-year-old Cameron Hoopingarner --  blind and physically disabled with cerebral palsy since birth ---  managed to cling to life behind those walls, for as he did, on a diet with very little food to eat --- which included baby food, formula and occasional protein shakes -- whenever the family opted to purchase them at $34 per can, after they say the insurance stopped paying for them. His death this week has not only shocked the community, but investigators as well. They say the boy was starved, hardly weighing 15 pounds, at 3-feet tall.

What Det. Jason Fischer and Lt. Brian DeHart, both of the Vigo County Sheriff's Department, observed, according to court documents, was a situation in which the child was emaciated beyond belief, left completely helpless in the hands of guardians, while residing in the small community of Rosedale.

""Immediately upon viewing Cameron's remains, I noticed he appeared to be extremely malnourished; to the point that his bones were readily visible," Fischer states in the probable cause affidavit. He notes that the boys' skin appeared "stretched over his bones."

​Fischer was in the room when the autopsy was performed Wednesday. Several arrest warrants were issued after Dr. Roland Kohr ruled the death a homicide, stating Cameron died from starvation. 

The young victim had been taken to a hospital Tuesday morning, dying a short time later  -- in cardiac arrest. Authorites were alerted. The resulting criminal investigation netted four arrests of the adults living with the child at 113221 E. Lewsader Avenue. Two other children reportedly lived in the home, as well.  Officials have said the victim never attended school and was confined to bed.

​Investigation revealed that the child had suffered flu-like symptoms and pneumonia in the weeks leading up to his  death at the emergency room. The guardian informed investigators that the child had not been to see a doctor in at least a year, as his medical condition deteriorated. They alleged his primary care physician, Dr. Pablito Dela Cruz had discharged Cameron and referred him to Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis.

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​The Indiana State Police Emergency Response Team and the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office arrested the following suspects last night at the residence on charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death -- a Level 1 felony and neglect of a dependent -- a Level 3 felony: The child's legal guardian, Robin L. Kraemer, 53; her husband,  Hubert A. Kraemer, 56; Chad A. Kraemer, 33; and Sarah B. Travioli, 30. Chad Kraemer and Sarah Travioli also face additional charges of failure to report child neglect -- a Class B misdemeanor.

The four suspects had their initial appearance in court this morning. They remain held on $250,000 bond.