Fort Wayne, IN – An infant sustained serious injuries after a babysitter allegedly slapped and backhanded the child. Emily Duran, 27, faces charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury and battery to a child under 14 that resulted in serious bodily injury.
Police responded to a local hospital on December 11 after receiving a report about an injured infant. The incident is said to have occurred in the 100 block of West Superior Street earlier that day.
The parents had left their 7-month-old son with Duran shortly before 7 a.m. They reported that the child appeared well when they departed. Upon returning home around 5 p.m., the parents noticed “deep purple bruising” on the child’s face.
Duran sent a text to one of the parents claiming the boy had fallen. In a later recorded conversation, she stated the child’s injury occurred when he fell off a bench at a park.
Concerned about the injuries, the parents took their son to the hospital. Doctors later diagnosed the child with a brain bleed and determined that the injuries were the result of abuse.
Medical experts reported that the injuries could not have occurred accidentally. They stated that the extent and nature of the injuries indicated that they were inflicted.
Police located Duran later in the week for questioning. After being read her rights, she allegedly admitted to slapping the boy “as hard as you would slap an adult.”
Duran was taken to the Allen County Jail, where she posted bond. She is scheduled for a court hearing on January 12.