Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 6, 2024 – A Jonesboro woman was charged with second degree battery on Wednesday after allegedly causing severe injuries to her six-month-old baby.
On July 10, Jonesboro police were told about a six-month-old baby who was initially taken to St. Bernards but was then transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis due to severe injuries. Sergeant Bill Brown met with the child’s mother, 19-year-0ld Ryanne Foster, and father for an interview.
They told Brown their child was born premature and that he’d had seizures a few times after they brought him home. The child’s father told Brown that after the seizures ended, Foster refused to take him to the hospital.
Foster said one time the baby fell off their couch, which was why he might have been injured. However, when Brown was at the couple’s home, he observed that their couch didn’t reach his knees, so a fall would not have caused the extent of the child’s injuries.
When speaking with a doctor at Le Bonheur, she told Brown the baby had mixed bleeding on the left and right sides of his brain, micro bruising on the front and back brain, and multiple fractures including his right femur. She added that a bad car accident or severe physical abuse would cause such injuries.
During a second interview with Foster, she said their dog would not have harmed the child and that she was the one who primarily cared for him. She added that his father would help when he wasn’t working or sleeping.
During a second interview with the child’s father Nov. 2, he told Brown he was worried the child would “wind up dead.” He said every time the child had a seizure, he had not been present and that Foster always described the injuries to him. He added that Foster often described the child as a “sack of flour,” and seemed to be more emotionally connected to their dog than the baby.
After speaking with the parents again, they both said when a seizure occurred, Foster had been the one caring for the baby and the father had not been present. Since the baby was not involved in a serious car accident, Brown determined the cause of injuries would be severe physical abuse.
Foster is charged with one count of second degree battery of a person over 60 years old or under 12 years old. She was given a court date of Dec. 17 at 8:30 a.m., a bond of $50,000 cash or surety and a no-contact order with the child. She is being held at the Craighead County Detention Center.
