A 20-year-old Missouri man is facing child abuse charges after his infant daughter was found with 14 fractures all over her tiny body.
A report states that Richard Leonard and his wife brought their 2-month-old daughter to a pediatrician who advised them to take the baby to the hospital due to bruising on her body. Despite the doctor’s recommendation, the couple chose not to bring the baby to the hospital, leading the doctor to report suspected abuse to the Department of Family Services.
On the same day, Leonard contacted the Lee’s Summit Police Department following the doctor’s advice. The police officer recommended that they cooperate with the authorities. Simultaneously, the DFS also reached out to the police department for a welfare check on the infant.
When the police arrived, Leonard’s wife, the mother of the baby, greeted them at the door. The officers observed that the child appeared comfortable in her mother’s arms and did not display any signs of distress.
Late that night, the parents took the little girl to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where personnel began noting the fractures and bruising on the baby. They called police to the hospital.
Doctors said they’d found 14 fractures to the baby’s arms, legs, ribs, and fingers, along with bruises on her shoulder, face, and back. Leonard said he had tripped and fallen while holding the baby, but initially said he did not fall on the child. Upon hearing the extent of the injuries, he said he had, in fact, fallen on the baby.
But the doctor said a fall did not explain all the child’s injuries, especially since some of them were in various stages of healing. The doctor said the baby exhibited signs of “classic abuse” and not accidents.
The Department of Family Services took the child into custody, while police continued to interview the mother, who said they’d been together a little more than a year and married in May. A few weeks earlier, they’d moved from Cass County to Lee’s Summit, a suburban Kansas City town in Jackson County. She also described abuse Leonard suffered as a child and that he’d been placed in foster care.
In a subsequent interview, Leonard acknowledged having anger issues and said the stress of the new baby had led him to being “too furceful during dressing, swaddling, and diaper changes,” saying he would “use more force than necessary” when he became frustrated with the baby. He attributed much of his stress to a lack of sleep and the baby’s constant crying.
Leonard posted a $50,000 bond after his arrest and is due back in court on Monday, Law&Crime reported. He was ordered to have no contact with his wife or child.
