CLAY COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A second person has been arrested in connection with a case of child abuse that resulted in an infant being placed in a medically induced coma.
On Monday, March 24, WSAZ reported about the arrest of Tomothy Ferrebee.
Ferrebee, the child’s father, has been arrested on charges of strangulation and child abuse causing serious bodily injury.
Father charged with strangulation, child abuse of 3-month-old
Now, Ferrebee’s partner, Jerri, who was also in charge of the infant’s care that day, has been arrested in connection with the case.
Jerri reported that she left the home and the infant in the care of Timothy Ferrebee on March 21 for approximately 40 minutes.
When she returned, she changed the infant’s diaper and noticed what she described as busted capillaries on the infant’s stomach.
She told the officers she questioned Timothy about the marks but never received an answer.
The 3-month-old was in Jerri’s care for the remainder of the night before she returned the child to the mother the next day.
After the custody exchange, the child’s mother immediately took the baby to the emergency room where a medical examination indicated physical abuse.
The criminal complaint states that Ferrebee told the officer she was “always worried something like this would happen.”
According to the criminal complaint, Jerri is a special needs educator aid in a school system, making her a mandatory reporter of any physical abuse.
Due to the lack of response after finding the concerning marks on the 3-month-old’s body, officials say Jerri has been charged with gross child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury and failure to report.
“This charge is the direct result of Ms. Ferrebee’s failure to act for approximately eight hours as the infant was experiencing prolonged loss or impairment of the function of its bodily organs,” stated the criminal complaint.
When the officer arrived at the hospital, bruising on both sides of the infant’s ribcage was observed, the complaint states.
According to the officer, bruising on the left side of the infant was in the outline of someone’s fingers, consistent with a squeeze or slap.
The infant also had dried blood under its nostrils and a swollen or droopy left eye, officials said.
The medical team reports the infant suffered damage to both lungs, air trapped in the thoracic cavity, and a cut on the infant’s esophagus. All the injuries required two surgeries, and the infant was placed in a medically induced coma because of the abuse suffered, officials say.
Two other children of Ferrebee’s were temporarily removed from the home by the CPS.
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