A Florida woman was arrested on child neglect charges following the hospitalization of her girlfriend’s son with serious bodily injuries.
Deniqua Yvonne Lovett, 34, was arrested on Dec. 28 on a charge of child neglect causing great bodily harm, following a Miramar Police investigation, NBC Miami reports. The arrest comes after her girlfriend’s young son was hospitalized in September with multiple fractures, just weeks after the child’s mother, Veronica Ruffin, 29, was arrested on similar charges.
According to the affidavit, the investigation began after the boy—whose name and age were redacted—was taken to Memorial West Hospital on Sept. 4 with swelling to his head and elbow. He was then transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, where doctors found multiple injuries, including head abrasions, a burned ear, bruising to the lower abdomen, fractures to the elbow, ribs, collarbone, wrist, and knee, the affidavit states.
Authorities grew concerned after inconsistencies in explanations for the boy’s injuries. Ruffin said Lovett often cared for the child while she worked, while Lovett claimed he fell from a playground slide, causing a fractured arm. She also said the boy’s rib injuries came from a previous fall from a bed and that she accidentally burned his ear with a hot comb. Medical records showed the elbow fracture occurred 2–4 days before hospitalization, the affidavit states.
“Also, the fact that his injuries went unreported for multiple days was remarkable because of the nature and severity of the injury,” the affidavit noted.
The affidavit noted that the fractures to the boy’s collarbone, wrist, knee, and ribs were “consistent with non-accidental trauma.” He was last seen in good health during a pediatric visit on Aug. 11. After being discharged from the hospital on Sept. 10, the boy, who has a speech delay and expressive language disorder, was placed in the care of his maternal aunt following a shelter hearing, the affidavit states.
“The evidence of injuries at different stages of healing, indicate that [the child] sustained inflicted trauma on multiple occasions in the weeks leading up to his recent hospitalization,” the affidavit said.
Lovett, of Fort Lauderdale, was booked into jail and appeared before a judge, who set her bond at $100,000. After her arrest, she told reporters she did not harm the toddler and said she didn’t understand why she was being arrested a month after the child’s mother.
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