Baby Suffers Injuries Like a 'Very Bad Car Crash', Doctors Say; mother in charge

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) – An Arkansas mother is accused of injuring her 6-month-old baby after doctors told police the child suffered injuries that could only be attributed to a “major car accident or physical abuse.” ”

Craighead County District Court Judge Tommy Fowler found probable cause Saturday for police to arrest 19-year-old Ryanne Elizabeth Foster on suspicion of second-degree battery. KAIT reports.

The charges stem from a complaint filed in July about a six-month-old baby who was taken to a hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with serious injuries and later transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Foster and the baby’s father reported that the baby was born prematurely and suffered seizures after being brought home from the neonatal intensive care unit. The father reportedly said the attacks happened when he was not there.

Foster claimed that the baby, who she reportedly called a “potato,” fell off the couch during one such attack, causing the injuries. However, according to the affidavit, doctors told investigators that the baby had “mixed hemorrhages in the right and left hemispheres of the brain, microcontusions to the front and back of the brain,” and multiple arm and leg fractures.

“When I asked the doctor what could have caused this type of injury to a 6-month-old child, I was told it would have to be a very serious car accident or physical abuse,” said Sgt. Bill Brown in court papers.

When Brown tried to talk to the parents about the alleged injuries, Foster did not “call” him back.

Brown finally spoke with the child’s father for the second time on Saturday. He reportedly apologized and said he had left Foster and left town. According to the affidavit, he told Brown he was concerned the baby “could end up dead” if they remained in Foster’s care.

“(He) reported that Ryanne described (the baby) as a sack of flour and that there was more of an emotional connection with their dog than with (the) baby,” Brown said.

During Wednesday’s probable cause hearing, when asked if she had any other children, Foster replied, “I have a dog.”

Police arrested Foster Monday and booked her into the Craighead County Detention Center, where she is being held on a $50,000 cash bond. The judge ordered her to have no contact with her child.

Foster is scheduled to appear in court on December 17.