A Cumberland County couple has been charged after a two-month-old girl was hospitalized in Dauphin County last year with substantial bruises and a prior rib fracture, according to court documents.
Micheal Derr, 25, and Jada Davis, 27, of East Pennsboro, were charged with felony child endangerment, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Lower Swatara Township police.
Related posts
The affidavit stated that the crime took place at the couple’s previous home on the 500 block of Mountain View Road in Lower Swatara.
The charges were filed after the two-month-old child was rushed to Hershey Medical Center’s Pediatric Emergency Room with several injuries detected between Sunday, Oct. 26, and Tuesday, Oct. 28, according to court records.
Dauphin County Children and Youth Services alerted police on October 28 after the newborn was admitted to the hospital with “bruises all over her body.”
Police did not reveal who transported the infant to the hospital or the couple’s relationship with the baby.
According to police, hospital staff discovered petechiae (tiny spots of bleeding under the skin) on the abdomen, neck, and face, as well as bruising on the interior of the palm and fingers, multiple linear bruises on both upper extremities, and bruising on the back of the left upper arm and the right lower leg.
The infant also showed various areas of petechial bruises, including her upper belly right below the rib cage and her neck/angle of the jaw, according to court filings.
According to investigators, doctors diagnosed the injuries as the result of child physical abuse.
According to police, Derr and Davis denied injuring the youngster. Police said they were the only two people who saw or watched the infant for several weeks.
Doctors indicated that the infant’s blood results were normal, and they ruled out medication or underlying medical issues as explanations of the bruising, according to the affidavit.
According to investigators, another doctor revealed that the infant had a healed rib fracture, which provided additional evidence of child abuse.
Derr and Davis’ preliminary hearing is set for January 28, according to online court records.
