Background: The Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Google Maps). Inset: Kimberly Rivera (Broward County Sheriff”s Office).
A woman from Florida has surrendered to authorities following her alleged confession to injuring her infant son by squeezing him.
Kimberly Rivera, aged 29, is currently detained at the Broward County Main Jail, facing charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect. According to a probable cause affidavit accessed by Law&Crime, the investigation into Rivera commenced on October 18, 2025. Medical personnel at Broward General Medical Center alerted the Department of Children and Families after a baby boy arrived with a fractured collarbone and ribs.
Initially, Rivera suggested that her older child might have been responsible for the injuries. However, she later confessed to feeling “overwhelmed,” struggling with depression, and being “not really okay,” although she insisted she would “never, never take it [out]” on her children.
As outlined in the affidavit, a close acquaintance of Rivera informed law enforcement that she had confessed to him, admitting, “I squeezed the baby.” He observed her in a state of distress, noting her intense crying and mentioning that Rivera had reportedly been experiencing “suicidal thoughts.”
Following her Miranda rights being read, Rivera was re-interviewed by the police. When questioned about the squeezing incident, she allegedly acknowledged, “That’s probably why he has those fractures, because of me.” She demonstrated her actions using a pillow but conceded, “he’s just a baby,” acknowledging that the pressure “would’ve hurt him really bad.”
Rivera reportedly believed she was suffering from postpartum depression, which led to her “frustration just took over.” She expressed regret, saying, “I’m sorry that I didn’t come clean to you guys, I was just afraid.” During the interview, her suicidal thoughts resurfaced, prompting her hospitalization under the Baker Act for further evaluation.
When police searched her phone, they said she also wrote a confession on Oct. 20, 2025, in her Notes app that read, “One night I let the frustration and [postpartum] depression get over me and I squeezed [redacted] because he wouldn’t stop crying.”
Police wrote in the probable cause affidavit that Rivera was subsequently admitted to a mental health facility following the alleged abuse incident. According to local independent news station WPLG, Rivera approached a deputy from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on Monday and told him that she believed there was an active warrant out for her arrest. She was brought to the Broward County Main Jail, where she remains in custody without bail.
Rivera is scheduled to be arraigned on June 1.
