A 10-month-old boy from Harbor Beach, Michigan, is fighting for his life in a Cleveland hospital after suffering a brain bleed that his family says was the result of an assault in Elyria, Ohio. Malachi Harris underwent a three-hour operation that included removing part of his skull, and his grandmother says doctors have given him just a 10% chance of full recovery.
Malachi had gone to stay with his father, Adam Bennett, in Elyria on July 5 for what was meant to be a month-long visit, according to the Huron Daily Tribune. On July 17, Bennett found the infant unresponsive with bruises on his torso and shoulders. Raymond Lucero, who is the brother of Bennett's fiancée, was with Malachi at the time, per the same account.
Doctors determined Malachi had suffered a brain bleed requiring emergency surgery. He was placed into a medically induced coma after experiencing seizures and was transported roughly 30 miles from Elyria to UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, the only verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in northern Ohio, according to University Hospitals. He has since received two blood transfusions.
Two Suspects Booked on Felony Charges
Raymond Lucero and Eva Thompson were both booked into the Lorain County Jail on July 18, per sheriff records cited by the Huron Daily Tribune's report. Lucero faces one count of endangering children and one count of felonious assault, and is being held on a $1 million bond. Thompson faces a single count of endangering children and is held on a $150,000 bond.
Under Ohio Revised Code 2903.11, felonious assault is a second-degree felony carrying a mandatory prison term of two to eight years and fines up to $15,000, according to Zukerman Law. Separately, Ohio's child endangerment statute, ORC 2919.22, is elevated to a felony when the conduct results in serious physical harm to a minor, with sentences of up to eight years depending on the degree, as detailed by The Farrish Law Firm. Defendants held on such bonds typically undergo preliminary proceedings in municipal court before their cases are bound over to the Lorain County Common Pleas Court, which holds jurisdiction over felony trials and grand jury indictments.
It remains unclear whether a grand jury will issue formal indictments or amend the initial charges, and whether defense attorneys have been retained or appointed to speak on behalf of Lucero and Thompson.
A Long, Uncertain Road to Recovery
Malachi is now out of the medically induced coma and is regaining feeling in his toes, but he has experienced partial paralysis on his left side and may need to relearn how to walk and talk. He is also experiencing withdrawal from his medications, which has required additional prescriptions. Doctors say he may remain hospitalized for up to two months and could need another major surgery to disconnect the injured part of his brain from the healthy part if his seizures continue.
His grandmother, Melissa Harris, said medical staff have told the family Malachi has an estimated 10% chance of full recovery and that he could live with impairments for the rest of his life. “I want him to be like he was before,” she said, per the Huron Daily Tribune's reporting. Melissa has said she will not return to Michigan without her grandson.
Malachi normally lives in Harbor Beach with Melissa and his mother, Kaitlyn Nichols. Harbor Beach sits in Huron County along Lake Huron's Thumb region, roughly 285 to 290 driving miles from Elyria — about a six-hour drive that has kept the family shuttling between two states, according to Rome2Rio. Malachi's parents reportedly co-parent well together without a formal custody arrangement.
Family Leans on Ronald McDonald House, GoFundMe
While Malachi receives care in Cleveland, Melissa has been staying at the Ronald McDonald House, which provides free lodging for families of children undergoing medical treatment. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio offers private family suites and wraparound support services to families of pediatric patients at nearby facilities, including Rainbow Babies, according to background compiled on Wikipedia.
A GoFundMe campaign set up to support Melissa's grandson is aiming to raise $10,000 for his medical care and the family's essential needs, and organizers say it will provide regular updates on his condition. Melissa is also accepting donations through PayPal at @missymae38, Cash App at $outlawadam21, and Venmo at @melissa-harris-972.
The case echoes other recent instances in the region where infants suffered severe trauma before receiving treatment at the same Cleveland hospital. In May, Hoodline reported that a Lake County man pleaded guilty to child endangerment after a six-month-old suffered broken bones, bruises and a brain bleed and was treated at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. Elyria police, who are investigating Malachi's case, have handled other serious felony assault cases in recent months, including a late-July shooting that led to two arrests and $300,000 bonds at the Lorain County Jail.
