Left to right: Kami Nelson and Lee E. O’Donnell Jr. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office).
In Indiana, a young mother and her boyfriend stand accused of brutally assaulting her 3-year-old daughter, leaving the child with extensive bruises covering nearly her entire body.
According to court records, 23-year-old Kami Nelson and 25-year-old Lee E. O’Donnell Jr. face serious charges, including neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury and neglect leading to serious bodily harm.
The troubling incident came to light following an emergency call on March 25. Authorities rushed to a New Castle Airbnb on Broad Street in response to reports of a child found unresponsive, as reported by The Star Press article.
Upon their arrival, first responders discovered the toddler in critical condition, lying unclothed and unresponsive on the floor. Investigators reported the child was covered in bruises, indicating she had been severely beaten, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit cited by The Star Press.
Emergency crews immediately performed life-saving procedures before transporting the girl to a nearby hospital. She was subsequently airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where medical evaluations revealed the extent of her injuries was more dire than initially assessed.
Doctors classified her condition as “critically ill” and “in shock,” noting she had endured severe abdominal trauma requiring immediate surgery, according to The Courier-Times report. The medical team discovered she had suffered intestinal lacerations, internal bleeding, and acute kidney damage necessitating dialysis.
“The report indicated there were no signs of a medical condition contributing to these nor is there a medical condition that would cause spontaneous injury to the intestines as seen in Juvenile Victim 1,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.
“Without medical intervention, these findings would likely have been fatal and Juvenile Victim 1 still remains in critical condition with a guarded prognosis. The only accidental history provided at this time by caregivers is that the child sleepwalks, which would not be consistent with these abdominal injuries,” the document continued. “At this time, Juvenile Victim 1’s overall constellation of findings including . . . diffuse bruising, soft tissue injuries, and abdominal injuries is characteristic of non accidental/inflicted trauma (child physical abuse).”
As detectives began piecing together what led to the injuries, Nelson allegedly had initially told police her daughter had been sleepwalking and may have been “walking into door handles and similar items.” She also claimed the child had been sick and vomiting in the days leading up to the incident and said she delayed seeking medical care because she had just started a new job and lacked insurance.
O’Donnell, who had been caring for the children while Nelson worked, reportedly gave a starkly different account while showing “little to no emotion” during his interview with detectives.
He told investigators Nelson had a volatile temper and described her as a “manipulative liar,” alleging she would become physical with the child “once a day, multiple times a day sometimes.” He also claimed he witnessed her strike the child and grab her face while she was eating.
According to investigators, O’Donnell admitted he was reluctant to report the alleged abuse “because I don’t want to end up homeless.”
Nelson, for her part, initially denied O’Donnell could have caused the injuries but later changed her account, telling police she believed he may have been responsible and was trying to “save himself.”
Authorities said both suspects ultimately blamed one another for the child’s condition.
Investigators also uncovered additional troubling details inside the rental home and reportedly found drug paraphernalia and a second young child staying at the residence at the time.
O’Donnell was arrested after allegedly failing to appear for a scheduled polygraph test on March 27. He was stopped on Interstate 70 later that day and taken into custody. Nelson was arrested the same day the child was discovered.
The toddler reportedly remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries while both defendants are being held in the Henry County Jail on $191,000 surety bonds, records show. They are scheduled to return to court for pretrial hearings on June 11.
