According to the police officials, the 39-year-old father, later identified as Michael, was arrested and later charged with multiple charges, including: child abuse – intentionally causing great bodily harm and child abuse – intentionally causing harm after he seriously injured his 2-month-old baby son. Hospital staff told investigators that the child suffered a subdural hematoma, bruising on both sides of his face and eyelids, as well as his chest, scr0tum, back, butt0cks, and legs.
On Sept. 7, 2023, officers responded to the local hospital after doctors called 911 regarding a baby with serious injuries. Police officials said the baby had bruises from head to toe and bleeding in the brain. Due to the severity of the child’s injuries, the baby was airlifted to the Children’s Hospital for more specialized treatment. According to the statement, the baby, who was not identified due to his age, was born premature and spent the first 47 days of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit before being released nine days earlier.
Doctors also told investigators that the baby also had bruising on the left side of his face near his upper jawbone and below his left ear. The entire retina had hemorrhages too numerous to count, which is a pattern consistent with abusive head trauma, police wrote. The victim also reportedly had blood in his spine from his second vertebrae down to his lower lumbar, police officials said. During an interview with investigators, the 39-year-old father reportedly admitted that he had been thinking about physically harming his son since the day he and his wife brought the boy home from the NICU.
The father reportedly said that after the baby came home from the NICU, he would hurt his son when he was alone with him. It started the day after his son was brought home from the NICU with pinching the baby’s toes when he was crying. It ultimately led to squeezing the baby’s legs, arms, neck and face. When investigators asked the father why he wanted to hurt his baby son, he reportedly said that the child’s crying triggers him. The father also told investigators that ‘when he hurts his baby son, he gets something like a runner’s high.’ The father also said that he similarly abused his two daughters when they were infants, but reportedly claimed that he only has issues with them being 0-9 months.