A West Virginia mother has been indicted in connection to the June death of her 16-day-old daughter after she allegedly admitted to squeezing the child “too hard” during burping.
A Putnam County grand jury formally indicted Brooke N. Kessler on several counts including child abuse by a parent resulting in death, child neglect resulting in death, strangulation and malicious assault on Thursday.
On June 20, police were called to a hospital over a child suffering “multiple, serious injuries” that “appeared to be suspicious/ non-accidental in nature.”
The newborn suffered six broken ribs, a broken arm, and bruising on the throat, eye, and back of the head.
Kessler reportedly told detectives she was “irritated with the baby and herself and probably squeezed too hard, causing those injuries.”
“Ms. Kessler also stated that the ribs may have broken when she picked the baby up by the chest to burp her, and she was irritated and squeezed the baby too hard, possibly breaking the ribs.”
The mother blamed her husband for the broken arm. The husband informed investigators that Kessler suffered from postpartum depression, and he had “to stop her a few times from shaking the baby and that he would take the baby from
her and have her cool off.”
He also informed police that due to his wife’s condition, he had left the baby with his mother from June 9 to June 14.
