A tragic incident occurred when a 10-month-old baby was left critically injured after allegedly being thrown into the air and bearhugged by his mother’s fiance. Jordan Boggess has been arrested on a felony child abuse charge after the toddler was found in critical condition in Newtonia, Missouri, on September 14, the New York Post reported.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to the family’s home around 8 p.m. following a report of a baby struggling to breathe. When first responders arrived, they found the baby unconscious but breathing, according to Law & Crime.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital and then transferred to a children’s hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, about two hours away. Medical examinations revealed bruises on his forehead and ear, along with collapsed lungs and two brain bleeds.
Officers later returned to speak with Boggess, 28, who was found sleeping. He told authorities that he had been lying in bed watching TV when the boy’s mother left the room to use the bathroom. According to Boggess, the child began to vomit and scream. To calm him, Boggess claimed he tossed the baby in the air, but on the second toss, the child fell and landed on his head.
The probable cause affidavit, obtained by the media, states that Boggess admitted he panicked and tightly “bearhugged” the child after he fell, potentially injuring him further. Medical professionals diagnosed the baby with “abusive head trauma” and signs of physical abuse.
Boggess remains in the Newton County Jail without bond. The baby was discharged from the hospital on October 24 and is now recovering at home with his mother. The child’s father told NBC affiliate KY3 that the injuries are likely to have long-term effects on his son’s life.
“He basically took my son’s life. He took my son’s future. You don’t toss a baby into the air,” Tyler Burbridge told the outlet.