Pittsburgh-area man charged with child abuse after baby is diagnosed with traumatic brain injury
CALIFORNIA BOROUGH, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Washington County man is in jail, accused of abusing his girlfriend's 1-year-old son so badly that the child is now on a ventilator and being treated for critical injuries.
The baby is being treated at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. His doctor has diagnosed him with a traumatic brain injury and extensive bruising, the criminal complaint said.
"The brain injury sustained by the victim is 100% unequivocally the result of child abuse," the doctor told investigators, according to the criminal complaint.
The suspect, identified by police as Lyndon Henderson, was babysitting the boy at the mother's apartment in California Borough over the weekend.
While the boy's mother was at work Saturday afternoon, police said she was able to talk with her boyfriend and child during a video call. However, when she returned home later, she told state police she found her son unresponsive on the couch.
The mother called 911 and the boy was rushed to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital and then transferred to Children's Hospital, where he is in critical condition.
State police tracked down Henderson on Sunday and brought him in for an interview. According to the criminal complaint, Henderson said the boy fell off the couch after spinning him in circles.
He told investigators that both he and the boy were in the apartment all day, the criminal complaint said.
"Honestly just breaks my heart because I have a 3-year-old toddler boy and I have a daughter that I'm pregnant with," said neighbor Jacqueline Lipscomb.
Henderson was arrested. He is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.
