A Texas man has been arrested after a 6-week-old baby he was caring for was admitted to a hospital with multiple injuries.
According to court documents, medical professionals discovered the baby girl with rib and leg bone fractures, a torn frenulum — a connective tissue — and she was underweight. Additionally, blood was present in her vomit and stool, as reported by KTXS.
The hospital called police because the injuries — 17 rib fractures in various stages of healing and bruising — were consistent with abuse.
Rodolfo Rosette admitted to the police that he “gripped” the infant too firmly while he was upset. He further acknowledged that he aggressively placed the baby into a car seat, which made her “squeal.”
Rosette also told detectives he forced a bottle to stay in the baby’s mouth, which doctors believe may have torn the frenulum.
Doctors noted that the leg fractures seemed to result from a jerking action. Rosette explained to the authorities that he tugged the infant’s legs to help her defecate, claiming the 6-week-old “didn’t want” to stretch her legs, so he pulled them excessively.
Three weeks after being removed from Rosette’s custody, the baby girl returned for a medical follow-up without any new injuries and was showing signs of healthy weight gain.
Documents did not explain Rosette’s relationship to the victim.
According to Law&Crime, Rosette was arrested on Monday and charged with injury to a child. He is being held on a $100,000 bond, KTAB reported.
