Thread: Injured infant fights for life

Injured infant fights for his life
ABUSE ALLEGED

December 22, 2006
By ANDREA HEIN STAFF WRITER
JOLIET -- A baby boy was fighting for his life at Children's Memorial Hospital Thursday night while police were arresting his father for allegedly shaking him so hard his brain swelled.

"They're saying it doesn't look good," police Lt. Ed Gregory said about the four-month-old child's condition.

Ricardo Perez, 34, of 436 Meeker Ave., was arrested Thursday night on a charge of aggravated battery to a child and was expected to be booked into the Will County Jail, police said.

The police investigation into Perez began Tuesday when 911 received a call for an unresponsive infant on Meeker Avenue.

Based on information from the family, doctors at Silver Cross Hospital initially diagnosed the child with a viral infection and had him transported to Children's Memorial, Gregory said.

Doctors there, however, soon discovered the baby had bruising and bleeding on the brain that likely was caused by some sort of trauma, Gregory said.

Police then began questioning family members.

They learned the mother had gone to work Tuesday and left the child in the father's care.

The baby's mother and father are not married.

Gregory said the baby's father originally told one story about what happened to the baby, then gave a different explanation.

Eventually he told police Thursday night that he shook the baby but not hard enough to cause injury, Gregory said.

During the course of the investigation, detectives ruled out accidental causes for the child's injuries, Gregory said.

From the parents' statements, officers surmised that the father was on the phone with his wife in Mexico and was trying to keep the baby quiet.

Children's Memorial Hospital could not be reached Thursday night, but police said they had been told the baby was in critical condition.

View Andrea Hein's Web log at http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/ahein/or contact her at (815) 729-6018 or via e-mail at ahein@scn1.com /a> /a>


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/hera ... S1.article

We don't need sick parents like that here. In this case I hope he goes to prison as sees what happens to people like him. Then they can deport him. Believe you me he will not come back!

Put his sorry butt in prison, then a strictly enforced work-release program to pay the medical expenses for this child that the taxpayers are picking up now, then send him back to his wife in Mexico. His wife will probably shoot him, then justice will have come full circle.

From the parents' statements, officers surmised that the father was on the phone with his wife in Mexico and was trying to keep the baby quiet.

This is the part that got me. Living with his girlfriend and baby and a wife back in Mexico.

Sick!!!!!!!!may he rot...in a deep dark hole for the rest of his filthy life

There is no lower scum on the earth than people who abuse little innocent children.

Someone needs to shake the crap out of his brain, do unto others as they do unto you, pretty good motto don'r you think?