BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Authorities in South Carolina are investigating a serious child abuse case that involved a 23-day-old infant.
A deputy with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Moncks Corner Medical Center on Sept. 3 after staff requested to report a case of child abuse.
One of the doctors at the hospital told the responding deputy that the parents arrived complaining that the infant, which was only 23 days old, had a “purple mark behind her right ear and was breathing funny.”
The parents told the doctors that the baby’s symptoms had began earlier in the day.
According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the doctor told authorities that the parents advised they had no knowledge of how the baby got the discoloration.
X-rays were conducted and revealed the infant had “multiple skull fractures and rib fractures,” and the doctor also said they observed burn marks on the child.
“She was also concerned the victim had a lung contusion,” according to the report.
The infant was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina for further treatment; however, paramedics stopped at Trident Medical Center in North Charleston while en route because of breathing issues.
Doctors at Trident Medical Center performed “life-saving procedures,” and once the infant was stabilized, it was airlifted to MUSC.
Kaitlyn Rose Whitfield, 23, and Bryan David Fitzgerald, 26, were both arrested Saturday and booked into the Hill Finklea Detention Center for neglect by legal custodian.
