Police have arrested a 26-year-old woman after several infants suffered “unexplained fractures” in a Virginia hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman of Chesterfield County is charged with felony counts of serious bodily injury and child abuse “in connection with an incident that occurred in November 2024,” Henrico County Police said in a news release Friday. did. obtained by people.
On Christmas Eve, Dr. Henrico Hospital announced that it would “not admit any additional infants to the NICU at this time” after three infants were found with broken bones in November and December 2023. . The injuries were “similar to an incident involving four infants in the summer of 2023,” the hospital said in a release. said.
HCA Virginia acknowledged: people Strotman is said to be a former hospital employee.
“We are shocked and saddened by the developments in this investigation and remain committed to continuing to care for our patients and provide support to our colleagues who have been deeply personally affected by this investigation. “,” the statement reads.
“We would like to thank our colleagues who have dedicated their professional lives to patient care and safety, and the law enforcement and other agencies who actively and tirelessly cooperated with this investigation.” . The hospital will continue to focus on providing “necessary and life-saving care” to babies in the community.
Police are examining dozens of videos taken inside the NICU and are “re-examining incidents from 2023 and 2024 as part of a broader investigation,” the report said.
“We appreciate the patience of the families and the public as we investigate all evidence related to these cases as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible,” Henrico Police Chief Eric D. English said in a statement.
“We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Henrico Child Protective Services (Department of Social Services), the Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, and the Virginia State Police for their tireless efforts as detectives continue to review hundreds of hours of footage. We would like to thank the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Attorney General's Office for their assistance in this matter.”
Regarding the recent fracture, the hospital said in a December news release that it had begun a “thorough internal investigation” and notified the family, authorities and appropriate regulatory authorities.
According to the report, “fractures sometimes occur in preterm infants because the fetal bones are not fully developed, and we are actively working to understand how these fractures occur.'' “There is,” the statement said.
The hospital said it has also strengthened safety protocols in the NICU, including a safety training program and more thorough testing of each baby in the NICU. The hospital said it has also installed a new security system with live streaming technology.
One of the babies injured in 2023 is Noah Huckey. The baby's parents, Tori and Dominic, discovered that Noah had fractured his tibia in September while he was in the NICU.
Local CBS affiliate station WTVR reported The parents said they received a letter from Henrico's Department of Social Services. According to the letter, CPS said the investigation revealed “Level 1 physical abuse of Noah by Henrico Doctors Hospital NICU staff.” The employee's identity has not been released at the time of the letter.
“We are looking forward to hearing that we have found the person responsible for this incident,” Dominic, the child's father, told the outlet at the time.
