MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A couple from Miami-Dade County is facing child neglect charges after one of them took their 6-month-old son to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital earlier this month with numerous injuries, authorities confirmed.
According to their arrest reports, the baby was taken to the hospital the night of April 10 by the father, identified as Joshua Avila, 30, due to “signs of changed behavior and possible brain injury.”
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Police said the baby was examined at the hospital and it was determined that he had suffered “extensive traumatic injuries indicative of possible child abuse.”
The injuries reportedly included “broken bones to multiple extremities, subdural hemorrhaging, retinal detachment and healing fractures.”
Police said the baby had three separate fractures on the right leg and four on the left.
According to their arrest reports, both Avila and the baby’s mother, Sheyla Arauz, 28, were aware of their son’s injuries when they occurred but failed to seek medical assistance for him prior to the date when he was taken to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
Police said Arauz’s initial statements about how her baby was injured did not match with the actual injuries. Her arrest report did not provide further details about her explanation, but stated that she later invoked her right to remain silent until she had an attorney present.
Arauz and Avila were both arrested Friday on a charge of child neglect involving great bodily harm.
They appeared in bond court over the weekend and have since been released on bail.