Wisconsin Child Abuse: 5-Month-Old Baby Suffers Brain Hemorrhage After Teen Mother Assaults Him

A 19-year-old mother of a 5-month-old boy has been charged with felony neglect of a dependent after the infant was abused and as a result, diagnosed with a near-fatal brain hemorrhage.

The infant, who suffered severe abuse, was first treated at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, and as the baby’s condition got worse, he was later transferred to a hospital in Louisville for additional care.

According to the Madison police, the mother, identified as Destany Jae Burge, who hails from Madison, was arrested when officers responded to the KDH Emergency Room on the night of April 24 after the hospital informed about an alleged case of child abuse.

Detectives Kyle Cutshaw and Ricky Harris from the Madison Police Department interviewed Burge. Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the detectives issued an arrest warrant against Burge and took her into custody.

Senior Patrolman Aaron Watson was assisting detectives Cutshaw and Harris in further investigation. The exact details of the abuse were unavailable.

The Indiana Department of Child Services was also assisting the Madison Police Department in the ongoing investigation.

Based on the preliminary investigation, Burge was booked into the Jefferson County Jail. She was facing preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent, a level 3 felony, and false informing, a Class A misdemeanor. She was awaiting her initial court appearance based on the preliminary charges imposed on her.

In a similar incident that was reported in Texas, a 3-year-old boy died due to child abuse on “Easter” Sunday. The boy, identified as Amari Boone, was admitted to the Cook Children’s Medical Center as he suffered severe head trauma from alleged abuse. The doctors who examined him confirmed the injuries were a result of child abuse. The Tarrant medical county examiner ruled his death as a homicide.

According to the police reports, after their mother, Ariana George, lost custody of her children, Amari and his 19-month-old sibling were living with two court-appointed caregivers.