JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mother of the prime suspect in the disappearance of toddler Lonzie Barton was summoned to the State Attorney's Office on Friday to talk to investigators.
Wanda Ebron said she was asked about a number of things, including a rape accusation against Ruben Ebron that she said has been dropped by his ex-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his three children.
Wanda Ebron said she feels as if her family is being punished while prosecutors work to build a case against her son, who police believe killed 21-month-old Lonzie.
Wanda Ebron acknowledged that her son has made some mistakes in his life, but she said murder is not one of them.
"I don't think he would kill a child," Wanda Ebron said. "I know it. I went through the grieving process, and then I had to snap myself back into reality. I know my son. He's not a murderer."
Clutching a Bible and standing in front of the State Attorney's Office on Friday, Wanda Ebron defended Ruben, who's been jailed since the night of Lonzie Barton's disappearance. She said she was subpoenaed to talk about a rape accusation brought against Ebron by the mother of his three children. The woman has since decided not to pursue it.
"I really believe that they are trying to build a case, and (his ex-girlfriend) did drop the rape case for reasons that she told the state attorney, and we realized that the state does have the right to pick it up," Wanda Ebron said.
She said the ex-girlfriend has told her that she plans to plead the Fifth.
Wanda Ebron said she believes that Lonzie is still alive somewhere. She said a woman claiming to be Lonna Barton, Lonzie's mother, called her on the phone and told her something that caused her and her husband to breathe easier. She wouldn't explain what the woman said, but she said the State Attorney's Office is aware of the information.
"There's no way the baby can be dead if she's expecting Ruben and her to be together shortly," Wanda Ebron said.
She said that if she was able to speak with her son, her motherly instincts would lead her to tell him to leave Lonna Barton alone after Barton's recent arrest with her estranged husband for selling drugs. She said she understands that the release of jailhouse phone conversations between her son and his ex-girlfriend earlier this week are standard legal procedure, but she feels like her family is being punished.
"The state attorney and police are only stacking, stacking, stacking," Wanda Ruben said. "We're being treated badly, like we've done something, and they are punishing us, really. It's what they are trying to do, and by punishing the family, they think they will get to him."
Wanda Ebron said the first time she was subpoenaed to speak with prosecutors, she felt as if they didn't accommodate her and they didn't clearly explain why they summoned her. But she said this time, she felt like she was treated fairly during the questioning.
She said she told them the truth, but she doesn't know if that will help them build their case against her son.