In one of the worst child abuse cases in Minnesota’s history, police discovered a 2-year-old little girl suffered extreme child abuse that included cigarette burns, and many shattered bones that prevented her from moving her legs. According to the criminal complaint, the mother, Tabitha Sylvia Chisholm, 26, was charged with negligence of a child and child endangerment, while her boyfriend, Rayco Delshaune Traylor, 31, was charged with assault for their alleged abuse of the 2-year-old.
According to the records filed in court, on September 4, 2018, police officers went to a complaint of a dispute at an apartment located on the 7900 block of Zane Avenue North in Brooklyn Park, and then later responded to a report of a 2-year-old child who was unconscious.
When the police arrived at the flat, they saw the toddler lying on an air mattress with her eyes open but she was unresponsive to any of the stimuli that were shown to her. Officers immediately noticed the two-year-old girl had what seemed to be a burn on her foot “made by a cigarette,” a burn on her cheek, a cut on her forehead, and a swollen arm. The police added that the injuries were consistent with being caused by someone pushing a lit cigarette into the toddler’s skin.
Two people face felony charges after a 2-year-old girl was left with cigarette burns, multiple broken bones, and unable to move her legs from alleged abuse. https://t.co/BOW510kaLm
— FOX 9 (@FOX9) September 8, 2022
The toddler was soon after sent to the hospital, where she “has not demonstrated movement in her legs.” In addition to those injuries, she was found to have a broken skull and vertebrae, damage to her spinal cord, two shattered bones in her left leg, and a fractured bone in her right arm. According to the complaint, when the police questioned Chisholm about her daughter’s arm injury, she told them she felt her daughter had a “nursemaid’s elbow.” She also said that she and Traylor had placed the girl’s arm back in place after Googling online for directions on how to do so.
During the course of the inquiry, Chisholm said that she was at work when Traylor was taking care of her daughter, but that she returned home to check on her daughter after she became concerned because Traylor did not answer her phone calls. Investigators have determined that Traylor was present in the apartment when Chisholm phoned the police; however, Traylor exited the building via the rear entrance before the cops arrived.
Couple charged after 2-year-old found with broken bones, apparent burns from cigarettes
(Via KSTP) Dindu nuffin cigarette burns on a 2 year old and a broken arm!? These people are animals! https://t.co/4pYyCxvdPn
— kartoonz (@JasonNibblets) September 9, 2022
After a few hours had passed, an arrest was made after Traylor had returned to the flat. According to the lawsuit, law enforcement officials saw blood on Traylor’s clothing at the time of the arrest. Chisholm is accused of telling police during the investigation that she noticed additional injuries on her daughter last week but did not get medical care for them because she “didn’t want people to think the injuries were caused by abuse and risk losing custody of her child.” This is stated in the complaint. Chisholm is also accused of saying this during the investigation.
Thursday is going to be the day when the couple makes their first appearance in court.
This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News