A distressing case of alleged child abuse has emerged from the Miami-Dade area where a local mother, Johana Barrera-Delgado, 26, has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses related to the harm of her 7-month-old son. The infant was admitted to Holtz Children's Hospital on December 11 with serious injuries to his legs, as reported by NBC Miami.
Barrera-Delgado has been accused of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect also causing bodily harm, and tampering with a victim. The hospital staff found that the child suffered from a spiral fracture to his left femoral shaft and fractures to both left and right tibial shafts, which appeared to be in different stages of healing. Initially, Barrera-Delgado suggested to authorities that the injuries could have occurred while the child was with a babysitting family member, a claim that has now been put into question. She was then detained and questioned by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, but she denied any abuse of the boy, according to the same NBC Miami report.
The babysitter, interviewed by detectives on December 17, recounted leaving the baby on a bed with her daughter for a couple of minutes when she stepped away and heard the child cry. Unaware if her daughter had struck him, these details add another layer of complexity to the case. Just a day later, under the supervision of deputies from the MDSO Special Victims Bureau, a controlled phone call was made between Barrera-Delgado and the babysitter. In this call, Barrera-Delgado instructed her to "continue with the story that was told to the police, and everything would be okay," as NBC Miami reported.
The mother was booked into jail and, according to court records, has been placed on an immigration hold. During a subsequent interview with investigators, Barrera-Delgado admitted that the baby had accidentally fallen off her bed multiple times and mentioned grabbing his left leg and placing his foot into his mouth. Today, January 9, the mother appeared before a judge who ordered her to be held without bond and noted the immigration matter, as detailed in Local 10 News. She faces a list of charges including one count each of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect causing great bodily harm, and tampering with a victim or witness.
