A Louisville mother is facing felony charges after her infant daughter was taken to a children’s hospital with severe injuries, including multiple brain bleeds, according to police and court records.
Marisela Hernandez Rios, 30, was arrested Sept. 24 and charged with first-degree assault and first-degree criminal abuse or neglect of a child. The investigation began after Child Protective Services notified Louisville Metro Police about the infant’s condition at Norton Children’s Hospital.
The baby had reportedly stopped breathing before being brought to the hospital. Hernandez Rios initially told medical staff that the child had been lying on a Boppy pillow when she turned away. She said that when she looked back, the baby was limp and not breathing.
Doctors found a much more serious medical condition. The infant had multiple brain bleeds, bleeding in both eyes, bruising around the hips and scabbing behind both ears. Medical imaging showed the extent of the injuries, and doctors performed emergency surgery because the child’s condition was considered near-fatal.
Police said the investigation later produced a different account of how the injuries occurred. According to investigators, Hernandez Rios admitted on two occasions that she had shaken the baby in the days before the hospitalization. Authorities said she also demonstrated the alleged shaking motion to a Child Protective Services worker using a stuffed animal.
The investigation was prompted by the suspicious nature of the infant’s injuries, according to Louisville police. Authorities have not released every detail of the child’s medical condition, saying some of the injuries were too disturbing to describe publicly.
Hernandez Rios appeared in court following her arrest. A judge ordered that she remain in custody on a $250,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 2, when the case is expected to move forward through the preliminary-hearing process.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing criminal case, and the charges against Hernandez Rios have not been proven in court.
