Topeka woman dies days after 9-year-old son was found dead in her home
A Topeka woman taken into custody after the death of her 9-year-old son has also died, according to the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office.
Shyla Goracke, 29, was taken into custody — and simultaneously hospitalized — on June 20. Sheriff’s deputies had responded to her home on SW Worwick Town Road just after 11:30 a.m. that day, where they discovered a deceased 9-year-old boy with wounds to the neck and chest, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office reported Goracke’s death on Monday. No other details were released.
The 9-year-old boy has been identified as Zerick I. Ozuna, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ozuna was a rising fourth-grader at Farley Elementary in Topeka, within Auburn-Washburn United School District 437.
Administrators from USD 437 shared a statement online remembering Ozuna as kind and curious, with a love for animals and a knack for Uno. His third-grade teacher Bobbi Hamman also shared a brief eulogy, writing that Ozuna was a great writer and an even better friend.
“He truly held a special place in the hearts of many of our students and staff members,” district staff wrote.
He was also an active member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka, at both the Montara and Farley locations, according to posts shared on social media.
“Zerick was a kind boy whose imagination knew no bounds,” the Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka wrote on Facebook. “With a creative mind, he loved to build inventive solutions to help others, whether it was fixing a broken toy or cheering up a friend feeling down.”
Goracke was the owner of Mutt’Staches Mobile Grooming in Topeka, The Star reported. She closed her business one day before her son’s death, citing personal reasons.
An autopsy for Ozuna was conducted on June 21.
Goracke was not charged in Shawnee County court prior to her death, according to court records. Shawnee police have not publicly classified Ozuna’s or Goracke’s deaths as homicides.
