A Marietta woman is facing a felony charge after police say her three-month-old infant was left with scratches and a fractured skull during an April 24 incident at a home in the Hampton Hill Drive neighborhood. The injuries were discovered during a medical evaluation after the baby was taken for treatment, and officers have opened a criminal investigation into what happened inside the home that day.
According to an arrest warrant described by the Marietta Daily Journal, the suspect is identified as Alondra Trejo Ranjel. The warrant states the injury occurred April 24 at 845 Hampton Hill Drive, after Trejo Ranjel allegedly became involved in a physical altercation with her 15-year-old sister. The document, as reported by the paper, alleges the infant suffered head scratches along with a skull fracture, and was used by investigators to spell out probable cause in the case.
Charges and what they mean
Investigators have charged Trejo Ranjel under Georgia’s second-degree cruelty to children statute, which applies when “a person with criminal negligence causes a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain” and is classified as a felony with a sentencing range of one to ten years in prison. O.C.G.A. § 16-5-70 lays out both the legal definition and the possible punishment. Prosecutors will have to prove criminal negligence to secure a conviction, a lower mental-state threshold than the malicious conduct required for first-degree cruelty. In practice, these cases often turn on medical evidence, forensic timelines and what witnesses say they saw or heard.
Medical context
For nonverbal infants, a skull fracture is treated as a red-flag injury that typically triggers additional testing, since it can be associated with intracranial bleeding or other life-threatening trauma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines abusive head trauma as injury to the skull or brain caused by blunt impact or violent shaking, and recommends thorough medical and forensic workups whenever it is suspected. The CDC and pediatric specialists stress that some infant skull fractures are not accidental, and clinicians rely on imaging and expert review to assess how an injury most likely occurred. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that unexplained significant head injuries in infants be treated as possible abuse and that child-protection teams and specialists be consulted; the AAP emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to these evaluations.
What happens next
The Marietta Daily Journal reported that Trejo Ranjel did not appear in Cobb County jail records reviewed by the paper, and that the arrest warrant currently serves as the main probable-cause document outlining investigators’ version of events. Court dockets, hospital records and any child-protective filings will ultimately clarify whether formal charges are entered, whether the infant remains in protective custody and when an arraignment is scheduled. Cobb County prosecutors will determine whether to pursue an indictment or add charges after investigators and medical specialists complete their review.
Local context
Severe head injuries to infants remain a high priority for law enforcement and child-welfare agencies because of the significant risk of long-term disability or death. When a baby’s injuries are unexplained or do not match what caregivers report, hospitals typically alert police and child-protective services so medical, forensic and social-service teams can coordinate an investigation. Officials are expected to continue reviewing records and reports in this case, and additional details will surface through court filings and public statements as they become available.
