According to the Washington Post, the step-grandfather of a child is being charged with first- and second-degree child abuse after paramedics find the 6-month-old boy critically injured in his home.
Infants Injuries Life Threatening, says police spokeswoman
The abuser, identified as 48-year-old Lenwood Pearson, was also charged with first- and second-degree assault. According to the Washington Post, investigators believe the baby was in the sole care of Pearson during the abuse.
No further details regarding the health of the child are known. The child was being treated at an area hospital as of Wednesday, reports the Washington Post.
Child Abuse Statistics
According to the Child Help:
- In 2014, state child protective services received reports of child abuse which involved in excess of 6.6 million children.
- Roughly 1,580 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 2014 – this averages to more than four deaths every day.
- More than 70 percent of child abuse-related fatalities involved children under the age of 2.
