A father from Florida finds himself in jail after allegedly shaking his 3-month-old son so forcefully that it's akin to a car crash. Now, over eight months later, the little boy, who is almost a year old, is still in the hospital on a ventilator, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
The incident unfolded when the boy was rushed from his home in Ormond Beach to a hospital at around 7:30 a.m. on January 23. His father, 32-year-old Malcolm Nelson, claimed he picked up the infant, who suddenly went limp and unresponsive. Hospital staff promptly alerted the authorities and the Department of Children and Families, triggering an investigation.
A CT scan revealed that the baby had a brain bleed, as indicated in a probable cause arrest affidavit.
Medical professionals found that the infant had gone into cardiac arrest, with his heart stopping for a harrowing 16 minutes. Additionally, he had a possible arm fracture. Given that infants cannot move on their own, a doctor specializing in child abuse informed detectives that such injuries couldn't occur naturally and were likely the result of someone shaking the baby.
The doctor's examination concluded that the injuries were due to "abusive head trauma," probably from being shaken. The boy's older brother disclosed to investigators that Nelson had previously become frustrated with the baby and had shaken him in the past, including the morning of the incident.
Nelson had been taking care of the child the week leading up to the incident while the mother was at work.
Dr. Walter explained that the baby's injuries were akin to those sustained in a car crash, and there was no indication that the parents had been in such an accident that morning, as stated in the affidavit.
Last week, Nelson was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse in Orlando and later extradited to the Volusia County Jail on Tuesday. He is currently in custody with a bond set at $150,000. Authorities have noted that if the child does not recover from his injuries, the charges against Nelson will be escalated.
In another heart-wrenching incident, a father named Derek Johnson discovered a devastating tragedy when he found his wife and two young children dead in a murder-suicide in Alabama. See detailed story here.
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