A 5-year-old autistic boy is now hospitalized and on a ventilator following severe abuse by his mother's boyfriend in their North Miami Beach home, as per local authorities. Daniel Eduardo Romero, 34, faces multiple charges, including aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect with great bodily harm, and providing false information to law enforcement, following the incident that left the child in critical condition, Local 10 reported.
The ordeal began last Friday, according to a police report, when officers responded to a report of a child in cardiac arrest at a residence in the 1400 block of Northeast 179th Street. Upon their arrival, police found the boy without a detectable pulse. After officers administered CPR, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews regained the child's pulse, and he was transported to Jackson North Medical Center, accompanied by his mother. Romero initially claimed a bicycle, then a wagon accident caused the boy's injuries, inconsistencies that led investigators to dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding the child's condition.
Romero attempted to cover up the violence by ineffectively instructing the mother to inform hospital staff that the injuries resulted from a fall off a bike, NBC Miami learned from arrest documents. Medical personnel at Holtz Children's Hospital later determined the boy suffered internal bleeding in the brain and abdominal cavity; lacerations to the liver, kidney, and spleen; a fractured left arm; and various bruises and scratches, which a physician's assistant stated were more indicative of blunt force trauma, rather than accidental injury.
The mother, initially echoing Romero's fabricated account, eventually changed her statement. She admitted to noticing severe swelling and minor bleeding on her son's head, followed by additional unexplained injuries. The suspect was also described as someone who often became irritated with the boy due to his autistic behaviors, which included rocking and noise-making. She further disclosed that Romero, who is not the biological father of the victim but shares two children with her, had a history of animosity towards the boy's biological father and had previous unreported domestic violence incidents, the Local 10 article revealed.
Romero, following his arrest, declined to speak with detectives and, as of this morning, was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond. The boy remains hospitalized and in an unstable condition.
