HOUSTON – A 40-year-old babysitter is facing felony charges after police said she caused serious injury to a 14-month-old child on Dec. 1.
A mother dropped her son and 14-month-old daughter off with Mirtha Melissa Medina at a northeast Harris County residence around 9:15 a.m., according to court documents.
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Around 11:30 a.m., the mother said Medina called her and told her that her daughter went limp while sitting in a high chair getting ready to eat lunch, and that she needed to come pick her up, according to court documents.
When the parents of the child arrived at the baby sitter's home, EMS was on the scene and the child was on a gurney in the back of an ambulance, according to reports.
Doctors said the child suffered a bilateral subdural hematoma with bleeding and swelling to the brain caused by physical abuse. The injuries will cause either long-term of permanent disabilities, doctors said.
Medina said the child was sitting in a high chair when she started shaking. She said she picked the child up from the high chair by her armpits and the child's body locked up. She said she then started shaking the child while yelling her name. She said during this time the child's head was moving front to back. She said she shook the child for about one minute. Medina then said she noticed the child had passed out and her head was leaning to the side. She put the child on her chest and removed her clothes to see if something bit her. She then put rubbing alcohol on her nose in an attempt to wake her up.
Medina said she then ran outside to see if her neighbor, who is a nurse, was home. When she saw her neighbor was not home, she went inside her home and called 911, according to reports.
Medina remains in the Harris County Jail and is being held on $30,000 bail.