MARQUETTE, MI— A L’Anse man will spend the rest of his life in prison for beating his 19-month-old son to death.
Eugene Rantanen, 37, was sentenced Monday in Marquette federal court following his conviction on charges of murder and first-degree child abuse in May.
On February 19, 2024, Rantanen had sole custody of his toddler son Carter on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Reservation when the boy became unresponsive. Despite treatment at three different hospitals, Carter died of head injuries on February 24.
At trial, the medical examiner testified Carter had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head. U.S. attorneys said the only plausible explanation for the child’s injuries was that Rantanen caused them.
“The conviction of Eugene Rantanen further ensures the public that this child predator and murderer will never again have the opportunity to harm another innocent young soul,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I would like to first thank our dedicated team out of the FBI Marquette Resident Agency, whose tireless efforts made this outcome possible. This success was the result of our close partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, Village L’Anse Police, Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. To the family and loved ones of the innocent child, I extend my deepest condolences. The FBI in Michigan remains unwavering in protecting our children and reassuring our communities that justice will be served.”
The FBI, the Michigan State Police, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Village of L’Anse Police Department investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis M. Sanford, Jeanne F. Long, and Theodore J. Greeley prosecuted it.
This case was part of the Department of Justice’s work to combat the missing and murdered 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.
