A 9-month-old baby is fighting for his life after his mum’s boyfriend allegedly dropped him on the floor and gave him a “bear hug” until he stopped screaming, according to police.
Jordan Boggess, 28, from Missouri, has been arrested after he was accused of child abuse following horrific injuries to baby Waylon. The baby was admitted to hospital with a brain bleed and bruising on his head after medics at Children’s Mercy told Newton County Detectives that the child had “abusive head trauma” as well as other injuries.
Waylon was placed on a ventilator upon arrival and has since suffered from brain swelling and multiple seizures after the alleged child abuse on September 14 by Boggess. The infant was placed in a baby suit while his mom went to the bathroom but started throwing up and sobbing. Boggess picked the child up and tossed him into the air, missing the baby on the second toss. He allegedly admitted to investigators that he then bear-hugged the baby until he stopped screaming.
Boggess told cops that his hands were “sweaty,” causing him to drop the child, but this was rejected by medics who said he suffered from “abusive head trauma.”
Image:
Image:
“They said baby Waylon will not be the same baby. If he makes it, he’ll be wheelchair-bound. He will not be able to talk. He will not be able to feed himself,” said the infant’s grandmother, Christa Newman. The child’s grandfather Tyler Burbridge added: “It’s hard. I’m lost for words. As parents, our job is to protect our children and be there. This is the hardest fight that I’ve ever, I’ve ever had to do.”
The suspect was arrested and is being held without bail. The shocking incident comes after a father was arrested this week after he allegedly admitted to shaking his 3-month-old baby for two whole minutes, according to cops.
David Becker, 25, from Arkansas, is accused of one count of domestic battery in the second degree resulting in physical injury after allegedly leaving his son with a bleed on the brain, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office said.
Police were contacted by the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock about a baby with brain damage on September 23, an affidavit said. According to authorities, the baby, who is still alive, suffered horrific injury at the hands of Becker who allegedly changed his story several times to account for the child’s severe injuries. When asked by police, Becker allegedly said he was throwing his son into the air and catching him when the boy had a seizure – forcing him to call 911.
However, the injuries are described in the court document were too serious for this, medics said. The boy suffered bilateral hematomas to the brain, severe retinal hemorrhaging behind the eyes, as well as damage to the spinal cord.
Follow