(GOSHEN) - A plea of guilty but mentally ill has been entered for a man in the death of his son.
Elkhart County Court officials say 37 year old Ryan Snyder entered a plea of guilty to two felony counts of neglect of a dependent and one felony count of criminal recklessness on Thursday. A charge of murder was dropped by the prosecutor. Snyder told the judge that he laid down on his two year old son Jaxson, causing the child's death during an 18 hour standoff in the summer of 2024.
On July 6, 2024 the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence in the 57,000 block of Pendleton Drive to conduct a welfare check on a man and his two children. Deputies arrived at the residence at 9:06 PM, but were not able to contact Snyder, who was at the house and was armed. He threatened to harm his children and law enforcement.
The Elkhart County Regional SWAT Team responded at approximately 12:09 AM on July 7 to secure the scene and attempt to contact Snyder, but he refused to exit the home and discharged a firearm before barricading himself in the house.
Many attempts were made throughout the morning and into the afternoon hours to contact Snyder, but with little success. At approximately 3:30 PM, the Indiana State Police Emergency Response Team made entry into the home and took Snyder into custody. His son Jaxson was found dead in the home. Snyder's four year old daughter was located. She was treated at the scene and released to a relative.
Snyder is scheduled to be sentenced January 8, 2026.