Inset: Rodolfo E. Rosette (Taylor County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Taylor County Jail where Rosette is currently being held (Google Maps).
A Texas father has been arrested on suspicion of abusing his 6-week-old daughter, reportedly squeezing the infant with enough force to break her ribs and pulling her legs so vigorously that it resulted in multiple fractures.
Rodolfo Rosette was detained on Monday and is facing a felony charge for injuring a child, according to court documents. In Texas, this first-degree felony could lead to a life sentence in a state prison.
The child was admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth this month, presenting severe injuries consistent with child abuse, prompting the medical team to alert the Abilene Police Department, as reported by Victoria CBS affiliate KXTS.
The infant suffered from “fractures to her rib, femur, and tibia,” a torn frenulum — tissue that connects the tongue to the mouth’s floor — and various bruises scattered across her body. Notably, her ribs had sustained breaks at least 17 times within her short six-week life, all at different healing stages, indicating a pattern of ongoing abuse, according to local CBS and Telemundo affiliate KTAB.
Doctors also noted that there was blood in the child’s feces and vomit and she was noticeably underweight.
During a discussion with authorities, Rosette supposedly confessed to losing patience with the baby and “gripped” her excessively hard, probably causing the latest rib injuries. He also reportedly acknowledged that he strapped his daughter into her car seat with the belts so tight it made her “squeal” in distress, as per KTXS.
Subsequent police inspection of the child’s car seat revealed that the straps were tightened so much that officers struggled to slip their hands between the strap and the seat, according to reports.
Authorities believe Rosette broke the newborn’s legs by pulling them with too much force in an effort to make her have a bowel movement. He reportedly told investigators the baby was not extending her legs all the way out and he jerked them too hard.
The child’s torn frenulum was likely caused by Rosette forcing the 6-week-old to keep a bottle in her mouth.
The child was taken from Rosette’s custody and after three weeks, police said she suffered no new injuries and was gaining weight.
Rosette is currently being held in the Taylor County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond, records show.
