A two-year-old girl suffered severe frostbite after she was locked outside while her 29-year-old hungover father slept in the house during a January snowstorm in Pennsylvania, authorities said.
Joshua Ryan Kitner is now facing felony charges of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The incident happened at his house on Steelstown Road in North Newton Township of Cumberland County on January 25, according to an affidavit filed by State Police at Carlisle.
According to Abc27 News, Troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police filed the charges on Wednesday, May 6, stating that Kitner was the only person watching the child that day. He told investigators that he found his daughter locked outside wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper when he woke up from his sleep after 5 p.m.
According to the affidavit, Kitner said that he believed the girl was letting the dog outside to use the bathroom when she possibly got locked out. The affidavit further revealed that the defendant had admitted to being hungover as he had drunk eight or nine beers the previous night.
“Kitner advised the victim was seated on her butt and dozing off,” Pennsylvania State Police wrote in the affidavit, reports Law & Crime. “Kitner further related the victim was cold and her feet/toes were frozen and purple, almost black in color.”
Abc27 News reported that temperatures in Pennsylvania were in the teens that day. Parts of the state were buried under 12 inches of snow.
The child had to spend a week in the burn unit after having suffered from “severe frostbite.” She reportedly suffered grade three frostbite to her right hand and grade four frostbite to her feet. Some of the frostbite on her feet was so bad that it appeared that the child would require surgery.
The two-year-old spent a week in the hospital. After that, she had more than a month of follow-up doctor visits, the affidavit stated.
2-year-old's toes 'frozen and purple' after she's locked outside for hours during winter storm while dad sleeps: Authorities https://t.co/b7D8Qe3ro5
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) May 7, 2026
Kitner was arrested and taken to the Cumberland County Prison. Magisterial District Judge John Hanner II released him on unsecured bail after he posted a $20,000 bond, reports Abc27 News.
According to the portal, apart from Kitner, two other women, aged 27 and 30, were also charged in the case in February, for allegedly obstructing a Cumberland County Children’s and Youth Services Investigation. They were further charged with failing to comply with a court order related to the case.
Kitner’s next court date is scheduled for May 21.
