A child’s injuries went untreated for days after a bath-time incident in Waco, where investigators say a man left a toddler alone with running water and failed to seek medical care as her condition worsened. The case surfaced weeks later when another child in the home reported the girl’s pain, prompting a hospital visit and a police investigation.
WACO, TX – A 36-year-old man is facing a felony charge after police say a toddler suffered third-degree burns while in his care and was not taken to the hospital for several days. Bobby Fisher was arrested Wednesday in McLennan County and charged with injury to a child in connection with a November incident, according to local reporting by KWTX.
Investigators allege Fisher left the child unsupervised in a bathtub, where she was exposed to scalding hot water. According to an arrest warrant, the child later sustained severe injuries that went untreated until another child in the home alerted an adult to her condition.
Injury discovered weeks after incident
Police first made contact with Fisher on Dec. 22 after the victim complained to another child in the household that her buttocks hurt. That child told their mother, who then discovered “bloody and pink” wounds on the toddler and took her to a local medical center.
Medical personnel determined the child had suffered third-degree burns with “significant skin removal,” according to KWTX. When asked what happened, the girl told investigators, “Mr. Fisher hurt her butt in the bathroom,” per the arrest warrant.
Details from arrest warrant
Investigators documented the severity of the injuries in the warrant, writing, “[The child’s] skin was falling off onto the washcloth.” The document also states that Fisher acknowledged he considered seeking medical care but chose not to. “[Fisher] told the [detective] he thought about taking the girl to the hospital after the burn occurred but feared getting in trouble for the burn so he did not take her,” the warrant states.
During interviews, Fisher allegedly told police he left the bathroom to get a diaper and claimed the child turned on the hot water herself. Authorities say he admitted the child was alone at the time. He also stated that when he returned, he saw “steam coming from the water … but did not check the water temperature or the [girl],” according to the warrant.
Fisher told investigators he then turned on the shower and began washing the child, at which point her skin began “falling off,” the warrant says.
Police say Fisher was living with the child’s mother at the time of the incident and did not inform her of what had occurred for four days. He was being held on a $10,000 bond as of Wednesday.
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