James Rosales stood at his son Ryan’s favorite spot, a cedar tree in the front yard of his home in Seabeck. The tree has now become a memorial to the 9-year-old, who allegedly was murdered by his mother on Halloween.
“This has been the hardest thing in my life,” Rosales said, “and I’ve gone through some hard stuff.”
Surrounded by his family and holding his son's beloved stuffed hedgehog toy on which he’d placed Ryan's glasses, Rosales choked back tears as he talked about his son.
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“I just wanted to say something because he was a special, special boy. He was so positive. He was like the sunshine on a rainy day.”
Ryan Rosales' mother, 47-year-old Amber Lynn James, has been charged with second-degree murder after investigators say she admitted to strangling him, claiming she was protecting the boy from people who were after them.
According to a probable cause affidavit, detectives investigating the crime scene found writing on the walls in the room where the boy’s body was found that included, “Harvest," "Spaywar," “Greed kills," “Sex Trade," “God is coming," “No Pedo," and “Michael=Devil."
In the affidavit, detectives described a conversation with James during which she told them “she’d recently been watching conspiracy type videos on YouTube.com related to politics and 'chemtrails' which seemed to have created some anxiety for her.”
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Investigators said that, while under questioning, James told detectives “that she needed to save her son from people who were after us, needed to protect him.
She stated she prayed, thought about it, cried then put her hands around his throat so he couldn’t breathe any longer.” Then she said, “How do I explain to someone why I just f***ing killed my kid? What is a good explanation of that. I killed my f***ing kid.”
Detectives wrote, “Amber did not cry or have any tears."
Rosales is estranged from James and has remarried. She was visiting her son on Halloween when she allegedly murdered him.
James Rosales told a story about the day Ryan had wanted to fish from his front porch with the line in a bucket below.
He said when he asked Ryan how he would catch a fish from a 5 gallon bucket, the boy reminded him of the eagles who scoop up fish at nearby Wildcat Lake.
“He said, 'Well you know, Dad, the one the eagles catch at the lake, and when they fly over, they’re going to drop it and I’m going to catch that fish,'” Rosales said, fighting back tears.
Rosales didn't want to talk about the crime, saying he tried for years to help Amber James.
“And I forgive her. I do. I have to,” said Rosales.
Amber James is scheduled to appear in Kitsap County Superior Court on Friday after her arraignment was postponed earlier this week.
A vigil for Ryan Rosales will be held at Green Mountain Elementary School on Friday at 6 p.m., and a funeral is tentatively scheduled for Saturday in Bremerton.
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