CINCINNATI — More than two years before a 16-year-old was accused of killing a 14-year-old in East Price Hill, child welfare officials warned that he had no caregiver willing or able to take him in and reported an incident in which he took a woman’s gun, according to newly obtained court records.
The Montgomery County Juvenile Court filings provide a more detailed account of the teen's movement through children’s services, group homes and the juvenile justice system before Rakeem Blair Jr. was fatally shot Aug. 18.
The 16-year-old is charged with two counts of murder, felonious assault and having a weapon while under disability. The murder and felonious assault charges each carry firearm specifications. Prosecutors are seeking to transfer his case to adult court.
WCPO previously reported that the teen is in the custody of Montgomery County Child Protective Services and had disappeared from a placement and missed a court hearing on pending drug and property-damage allegations.
WATCH: Teen charged in 14-year-old's murder was AWOL from children’s services placement
Children’s services took custody after reported gun incident
Montgomery County Children Services sought court intervention in June 2024, when the teen was 14.
A dependency complaint said his mother lived in Washington state and had sent him to Ohio to live with his stepfather. The teen later moved between the homes of at least two non-relatives.
One caregiver reported the teen took her firearm before she was able to retrieve it, according to the complaint.
The woman told the agency she could no longer care for him because she needed to protect her own child. The filing also said she had learned he reportedly faced aggravated weapons and attempted murder charges in Washington, although it did not detail those cases or their outcomes.
The teen’s mother told children’s services she had sent him to Ohio because of his behavior and refused to return to retrieve him, according to the complaint. The agency said his alleged father was not involved in his life.
A judge granted Montgomery County Children Services interim custody in June 2024. The teen was adjudicated dependent that August after the court found no alternative caregiver could provide for his basic needs.
The court later granted temporary custody to Children’s Services. Although the initial goal was reunification, the agency said no appropriate relative or non-relative was willing and able to take custody.
Delinquency cases followed group-home placements
The teen’s court involvement continued as he moved through residential placements.
A Montgomery County complaint accused him of breaking windows at an auto business in May 2024. That case was later dismissed without prejudice, meaning the complaint could not be refiled.
In Franklin County, the teen admitted to aggravated menacing after allegedly threatening to shoot up The Buckeye Ranch, a residential treatment facility in Grove City. A magistrate adjudicated him delinquent in July 2025 and transferred the case to Montgomery County.
Other complaints accused him of damaging a fire alarm, initiating a false alarm and interfering with first responders at the facility.
Montgomery County placed the teen on probation in October 2025. His conditions prohibited him from possessing or being around firearms or ammunition. He was also ordered to attend school and complete counseling.
In December, the teen was accused of taking a vehicle without permission. He initially denied a felony grand-theft allegation but later admitted to a reduced misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle. The court continued his probation through April 28, 2026.
The teen was released from juvenile detention to children’s services in January and placed on electronic monitoring.
Three days later, group-home staff reported he left without permission and traveled around Cincinnati, according to another complaint. The filing said the teen acknowledged electronic messages but did not contact the court or return to the home until police brought him back.
Staff also reported Ramsey tried to remove his monitoring device. A warrant was issued, but the electronic-monitoring violation was later dismissed.
Teen had been missing since April
A July 7 court order said the teen had been absent without leave from a children’s services placement since April 15.
The order said a caseworker believed he was in the Cincinnati area and had spoken with him roughly three weeks before the hearing.
Court records show the teen had briefly stayed at a youth center after being removed from another group home because of repeated absences, marijuana use and refusal to attend school.
The agency explored several placements with relatives, but each option fell through because of a lack of follow-through, according to the order. The teen’s mother was also no longer willing to have him placed with her after a caseworker testified that he had threatened her life.
On July 7, the court placed the teen in a planned permanent living arrangement under Montgomery County Children Services. The order allowed the agency to retain custody and determine where he lived, but court records said he remained missing.
WATCH: Here's what happened at the 16-year-old arraignment Tuesday
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children later listed him as missing from Dayton, saying he was last seen July 21.
Less than a month later, prosecutors allege he killed Rakeem. Court records show the teen had a loaded gun on him when Cincinnati police officers took him into custody.
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