A former nurse has been arrested on child abuse charges in connection with a horrific incident in which three premature babies suffered “unexplained fractures” at a Virginia hospital, which has closed its neonatal intensive care unit. authorities announced on Friday.
Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, was charged last month with felony counts of serious bodily injury and child abuse in connection with the tragic injury of an infant at Hernia Doctors Hospital in Richmond, police said. press release.
According to Henrico County police, the presidents were found with mysterious broken bones in late November or early December.
Police said the gruesome act of violence occurred after four infants were injured in the same ward in the summer of 2023, including a newborn with a broken leg.
Investigators are examining “dozens of videos from inside the NICU,” and “detectives are re-examining incidents from 2023 and 2024 as part of this broader investigation,” police said in a press release. Ta.
“The Henrico County Police Department is utilizing all available resources to ensure a thorough investigation of this matter,” the department said.
In December, Dominic and Tori Huckey spoke about how heartbreaking it was to learn that their premature baby, Noah, had suddenly lost the ability to move his legs at the hospital in September 2023.
“I had some discoloration. I told the doctor on staff about it, and they took an X-ray, and it turned out that my leg was broken, so I had to wear a splint for the next two weeks.'' And she said, “Do you want to hug him?'' Dominic Hickey said. WTVR.
“In my mind, I didn't want them to turn it over and say we broke his leg or anything like that, so I thought, 'No, we broke his leg or something like that. We don’t want to hug you, we want to hug you.’ We just have to process this,” he said.
Out of an abundance of caution, the hospital has now stopped admitting infants to its neonatal intensive care unit and has taken steps to increase security.
In a Dec. 24 statement, the hospital said: “From late November to December, we discovered that three infants in Henrico Doctors Hospital's NICU had unexplained fractures. “This is similar to the incident involving four infants.”
“We launched a thorough internal investigation, informed the family, notified the appropriate authorities and regulators, and worked with them on the investigation.”
A spokesperson said the hospital was “shocked and saddened” by Strotman's arrest. NBC News Reported.
A representative said Strotman was a former hospital employee, but declined to provide his specific title.
Strotman reportedly said on social media that she graduated as a registered nurse in 2019.
Details of the infant's injuries were not clear as of Friday.
