A 23-year-old Lakeland woman faces aggravated child abuse charges after confessing to detectives that she threw her infant into a playpen on a tile floor, according to the Lakeland Police Department. The 6-month-old baby later died at the hospital from his injuries.
Investigation Details
Officers responded to Chestnut Woods Drive at 11:39 p.m. on June 29 for an unresponsive infant. Initial medical evaluations showed no immediate signs of trauma to explain the death, though officers noted an unexplained mark on the child’s left eye and a mark on his leg.
The mother, who felt overstimulated and fatigued from caring for both her children, eventually admitted to detectives that the baby suffered multiple injuries throughout the day on June 29. She stated she accidentally dropped the baby on the floor while reaching for the remote and hit his head around 9 a.m. She also admitted to intentionally throwing him into a playpen resting on a tile floor around 1 p.m.
Despite the child being unusually sleepy and refusing normal amounts of formula, the mother did not call 911 until about 11:30 p.m., after alerting her mother. The medical examiner stated the child might have survived had he received immediate medical treatment.
Original reporting: Tampa Bay Florida News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
