Police arrested a North Carolina couple after their 7-week-old baby was hospitalized allegedly due to a severe beating.
Although now in stable condition at a local hospital, the girl has five broken ribs, five fractured ribs, two broken legs and internal swelling, WLOS reports.
The baby was rushed to hospital after the Department of Social Services called police on April 18.
Authorities say Billy Dewayne Taylor, 32, had been abusing his child since she was 4 weeks old. Investigations reportedly revealed the child’s ribs were still healing from previous abuse when she was hospitalized.
Police also arrested 20-year-old Jennifer Dawn Davis, the child’s mother, for failing to report Taylor’s abuse or to get the baby emergency medical treatment.
Madison County Sheriff Buddy Harwood said Davis heard “blood-curdling screams coming from the child” multiple times, but did not contact authorities.
Both Taylor and Davis, both of whom worked as caretakers at a local home for seniors, now face felony charges.
Taylor faces two counts of felony child abuse, while Davis faces charges for not seeking help for the child as well as for covering up the alleged abuse.
Taylor is in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail, while Davis’ bail is set at $80,000.
It is the second time the Department of Social Services stepped in to remove a child from the couple’s home, a fact that upset many on social media.
“This sickens me,” wrote one person on WJAC’s Facebook post about the arrests. “Parents should PROTECT their children. Why in the hell did they even get to take this innocent child home from the hospital? When the previously had a child removed from their home. We are failing our children. My heart breaks for that poor baby May God wrap his arms around her and comfort her. May she find a loving, nurturing home. She sure does deserve it. And those parents should rot in jail. And they should snip them so they can’t do this again.”
“They already had a child removed from their home?” said a second commenter. “Ultimate proof again: our ‘system’ sucks, it’s a joke, it’s an embarrassment. People in the position of power to affect change: close your f***ing eyes & imagine this is your child, your family. ”
“This makes me furious and sick,” added a third Facebook user. “If a couple loses one child to the system then they should never be able to have any other children. Period. Sterilization would take care of that so another child would never have to live thru hell.”
Sources: WLOS via WPEC, WJAC/Facebook / Photo credit: lmcphail22/Flickr, Madison County Sheriff’s Office via WLOS
