MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A 26-year-old Miami-Dade mother is facing multiple child abuse charges after deputies said her 7-month-old son was found with a spinal fracture and broken bones in his legs while under her care.
Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the infant was taken to Holtz Children’s Hospital on Dec. 11 for left leg pain.
Medical staff conducted tests and discovered a spinal fracture to the child’s left femur, along with fractures to his left and right tibia, according to an arrest report.
Deputies said the child was living at a home near the 1300 block of Northwest 79th Street in the county’s Gladeview area.
The report stated that the child’s mother, Johana Barrera Delgado, initially denied abusing her son and told deputies the injuries may have occurred while he was being babysat by a family member.
On Dec. 17, the babysitter told deputies she left the baby on a bed with her daughter and briefly stepped away. Moments later, she heard the baby crying and ran back into the room, admitting she did not know whether her daughter struck him, authorities said.
The following day, the babysitter went to the MDSO Special Victims Bureau, where authorities conducted a phone call between her and Barrera Delgado.
During the call, they said Barrera Delgado instructed the babysitter to “continue with the story” told to deputies and told her that “everything would be OK.”
She also claimed the baby was dropped off at her home with a swollen left leg and was not injured while in her care, according to the report.
Later that day, deputies said Barrera Delgado arrived at the Special Victims Bureau.
In an interview, investigators said she admitted the baby had fallen off her bed multiple times while under her care. She also admitted to grabbing his left leg and placing his foot into his mouth, the report stated.
Jail records show Barrera Delgado, a Nicaraguan national, is facing one count each of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect causing great bodily harm, and tampering with a victim or witness.
She was placed on an immigration hold and remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed as “to be set” as of Friday morning. She was also ordered to have no contact with the victim and banned from possessing any drugs, weapons, or firearms.
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