Dolci Gryshayeva

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolci’s father died at age 22 running from police and Dolci’s own short life likewise was filled with drama. She might have grown up to be a world class gymnast. After all, both her grandparents excelled at the sport. But the two year old never got the chance. She died at the hands of Keith Nick Ruiz, her mom's boyfriend.

 Dolci died September 9, 2011, of what the Jefferson County Coroner‘s office determined were head injuries caused by blunt force trauma. The blows that killed her weren‘t the only ones she suffered. When Dolci died, she was two years and three months old. She had chipped red nail polish on her fingernails and healing rib fractures. She also had bruises on her forehead and scrapes on her chin, the back of her head and the right side of her face. There was a six inch long bruise across the middle of her back, two more on her bottom, along with a cut nearly two inches deep. There was hemorrhaging in her optic nerves.

 

In the course of her life, any number of people who crossed paths with Dolci could potentially have spared her that abuse. Her paternal grandmother confronted Dolci's mother Anastasia Gryshayeva, about injuries she saw but apparently accepted the explanations Gryshayeva gave her. Three months before Dolci died, her paternal grandmother took her to the emergency room because Dolci was walking funny. It turned out she had a broken leg. Jefferson County human services investigated, and Gryshayeva denied ever leaving Dolci in the care of her new boyfriend Ruiz. The county referred Dolci, her mom and Ruiz to the Child Abuse Prevention team at the Kempe Center, but they were unable to determine how the injury happened. They decided it was most likely accidental.

Almost a year earlier, Adams County Human Services looked into whether Ruiz abused his own two children, which he had with another woman. The county concluded the allegations arose from a custody dispute. In December 2011, Anastasia Gryshayeva had another baby girl Jefferson County was providing services for Gryshayeva and her baby. “There are no safety concerns,” the report concluded.

 

 Ruiz plead guilty, he admitted that after Anastasia Gryshayeva left the apartment, Dolci began to cry and wouldn't stop, and he "snapped." Ruiz admitted throwing the child to the ground, then said he fell on top of her. Ruiz said Dolci hit the floor headfirst and stopped breathing. Keith Nick Ruiz was sentenced to 36 years in prison.

 

 

 

 

 

http://childfatalities.denverpost.com/#id=22&name=GryshayevaDolci