Couple Allegedly Broke Their 2-Month-Old Son’s Ribs In 13 Places
A couple reportedly left their 2-month-old son with 13 rib fractures and a slew of other horrifying injuries. According to WCPO, Robert Rich Jr., 27, and Ashlee Hensley, 20, called 911 on March 15 to report that their little boy was having a seizure. The 2-month-old boy was rushed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where doctors discovered that the infant had severe retinal hemorrhaging, an orbital fracture to his left eye, brain injuries, and 13 broken ribs.
Doctors informed police about their shocking discoveries.
The Covington couple told investigators that the baby had been involved in a previous car accident and at another time had accidentally been dropped. However, the Cincinnati doctors disputed their claims, saying that the baby’s injuries were synonymous with protracted physical abuse.
According to the doctors involved in the case, the boy’s 13 rib fractures were in varied stages of healing. One of them was less than 10-days-old.
A Fox 19 report also confirmed that the infant had a knot over his left eye at least 48 hours before his parents made the emergency call. The great-grandmother, who often cared for the boy, told investigators that she noticed the injury and confronted Robert about it.
Baby's 13 fractured ribs, other serious injuries lead to arrest of parents Robert Rich, Jr., and Ashlee Hensley. https://t.co/1m36Q3vU7S pic.twitter.com/jc1XxTaIQS
— WCPO 9 (@WCPO) March 22, 2018
According to her, the 27-year-old dismissed the injury, saying it was broken blood vessel caused by the baby crying too much. The great-grandmother told investigators that her suspicions were that the infant was in terrible pain. She said when she told Rich again about it, he ordered her to give the baby NyQuil– a liquid medicine for treating colds.
River City News is reporting that police obtained a search warrant to explore Ashlee Hensley’s phone and found conversations between the pair had been deleted after the baby had been taken to the hospital.
The 20-year-old denies deleting the messages.
At the time of this report, investigators were working to get a search warrant for Rich’s phone.
Investigators say they also investigated the phone records of a Hensley family member who watched the boy on the day of the 911 call. The family member told police that the child did not appear injured at the time she watched over him.
Rich and Hensley were indicted Wednesday for assault and criminal abuse. They are being kept in the Kenton County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond. Doctors say the infant will develop developmental delays as a result of his brain injuries.
This is not the first instance of an infant being inflicted with rib injuries. Dr. Jason Bittner broke his 3-month-old daughter’s ribs in 28 places because he wanted a boy. An Inquisitr story details that the Ohio chiropractor vented his frustrations on his infant daughter, leaving her brain dead because he wanted a boy child.
