Teen Suspected In Beating Baby Barely Survived
TAYLOR (WWJ) - A Taylor teen will be charged in juvenile court, accused of breaking into an apartment and beating a 9-month-old girl nearly to death.
Taylor Police Chief Mary Sclabassi the child's 13-year-old brother was supposed to be babysitting, but was not home when officers arrived on a call about a possible home invasion at Sandee Townhomes near Allen and Pennsylvania roads.
"The baby ... was found assaulted and bleeding very badly and barely breathing," Sclabassi said.
Sclabassi said the 15-year-old suspect, a neighbor, has a severe case of Down Syndrome — a genetic disorder typically associated with a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth.
"We have not been able to communicate with him, actually, because of that, to determine why or how any of this happened," Sclabassi told WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil.
"I'm not aware of what his history is, and please understand that I'm not suggesting that because he has Down's Syndrome is what led to this," Sclabassi said. "We don't know what led to this assault on the baby."
According to reports, no one witnessed the beating, but screams were heard and the suspect was found covered in blood. He was arrested at the scene.
The little girl has been taken off a ventilator but remains in critical condition with a traumatic brain injury.
"Initially she was quite bad off," Sclabassi said. "She apparently stopped breathing inside the squad car en route to the hospital. There was a member of our fire personnel inside conducting CPR at the time ...
"So, all of our thoughts and prayers are that she will recover the best that she possibly can from this horrible incident," she said.
Sclabassi said they're concerned that the baby did not have proper supervision and she's not sure if the mother will face any charges.
No names have been released.
