In North Carolina, a 31-year-old mother and a 29-year-old father have been detained on suspicion of assaulting their 10-month-old infant, who has burns from a cigarette lighter and bite marks all over him.
Authorities declared that Shalisa Monai Lowe and Martavious Levar Smith had been taken into custody over the weekend and were each charged with one count of felony intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily damage.
Patrol deputies were called to a residence in the 100 block of Powder Horn Road on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to check on the safety of a 10-month-old kid, according to a news release from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
Family members of the infant contacted the sheriff’s office, according to the authorities, after noticing “bruises and other unexplained markings on the child’s body.”
Deputies and county-affiliated emergency medical workers spotted the youngster as soon as they arrived at the location, and the release stated that they saw “several bruises and injuries to the child.”
The baby was taken by EMS to Iredell Memorial Hospital so that it might receive medical attention. According to authorities, the infant’s injuries were found to be “consistent with physical abuse” by the medical professionals who evaluated him.
Owing to the intensity of the infant’s illness, Brenner’s Children’s Hospital received the youngster for additional assessment and care.
The case was taken up by detectives from the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division, who interviewed prospective witnesses and family members as well as gathered information from the medical examinations carried out at the two hospitals.
“Medical experts at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital determined the injuries to the child were caused by intentional physical abuse and some of the injuries were consistent with cigarette lighter burns and bite marks,” according to the release. “As a result of evidence collected during the investigation and statements made by the parents of the victim, both were charged with felony intentionally child abuse causing serious bodily injury.”
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