6-Week-Old Florida Infant Serious With Multiple Fractures After Man Squeezes Baby Out Of 'Annoyance'

A man in St. Petersburg, Florida, was arrested after he squeezed an infant out of “annoyance.”

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the six-week-old infant was taken to the pediatrician’s office by the accused, identified as 35-year-old Donald Fox, on Wednesday (May 27) for treating the baby’s leg injuries. Upon noticing that the injuries were serious, the infant was transported to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Medicals tests revealed that the infant had multiple fractures to each leg, ankles and ribs. The sheriff’s office was immediately informed about it. Doctors told the investigators that some of the injuries were several weeks old and were at different stages of healing. Following this, the baby was immediately removed from Fox’s care by the child protection investigators and he was detained for questioning. The details regarding the relation between the accused and the child was not known.

Fox initially told the investigators that the injuries were “accidental.” However, after the investigators found inconsistencies in the narration, the man told them that the infant was injuried after he squeezed the baby out of “annoyance” and “frustration.”

Following the confession, he was taken into custody and charged with three counts of aggravated child abuse. He was being held in the Pinellas County jail as of Friday (May 29) with his bail set at $90,000.

Meanwhile, the infant remained hospitalized with serious injuries. However, doctors confirmed the injuries were non-life-threatening. Investigation into the case was ongoing.

The incident comes days after two family members were arrested after a toddler from Connecticut suffered life-threatening injuries. Police responded to a home after receiving a report of an injured toddler. The two-year-old girl, who was unresponsive, was rushed to a local hospital. Medical tests revealed the girl had suffered severe head injuries and doctors confirmed the injuries were life-threatening. Suspecting it to be a case of child abuse, the girl’s father, 32-year-old Raymond Burgison, and grandmother, 54-year-old Lisa Burgison, were taken into custody and charged with risk of injury to a child.