A mother from Florida has been charged with child abuse, over a year after her 3-month-old daughter was discovered unresponsive, having seizures, and with bruises on her abdomen.
Kelly Ward, 22, was detained in Hillsborough County and transferred to Volusia County to answer to a charge of child neglect causing serious harm, as indicated by jail records.
According to WESH, police responded to Ward’s residence in DeLand in November 2023. Ward and her boyfriend at the time, Richard Reid, were the last adults seen with the infant, as stated in an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit lacks specific details about the events of that night, but doctors confirmed the child’s injuries were not accidental, instead aligning with symptoms of shaken baby syndrome.
Medical experts indicate the baby now suffers permanent brain damage and requires a feeding tube. The child is unlikely to ever gain the ability to see, walk, talk, or perform basic tasks.
The document also notes that Reid, who is not the biological father, faces charges in the incident, though it does not specify these charges or his whereabouts. He allegedly denied harming the child, attributing the injuries to rats instead.
Ward was booked into jail on August 4 and released on a $5,000 bond on August 9.
