Newborn's Healing Fractures Don't Match Fall Story, Bexar County Deputies Say

A newborn in San Antonio was hospitalized with multiple fractures, including both new and older healing injuries, and the man who reported the incident is now behind bars on a $75,000 bond. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office arrested 21-year-old Aiden Jacob Rodriguez and charged him with intentional injury to a child after medical personnel determined the infant's injuries were inconsistent with the fall he described.

Deputies responded to a local hospital regarding the newborn on Sunday, according to WOAI. Rodriguez told investigators he tripped while walking and holding the child, and said the baby cried after the fall. But medical personnel advised investigators that the newborn's injuries were not consistent with the reported fall, and that the combination of new and older healing fractures was consistent with child abuse, per the sheriff's office.

As KENS 5 reported, Rodriguez is being held on a $75,000 bond. The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges are being considered as the case moves forward.

Why Old and New Fractures Matter Medically

In pediatric emergency medicine, the presence of multiple fractures at varying stages of healing in a non-ambulatory infant is widely recognized as a classic diagnostic marker of non-accidental trauma, according to research published by the National Institutes of Health. That finding typically triggers a full-body skeletal survey, an X-ray series used to uncover hidden or healing bone lesions in infants, along with mandatory reporting to law enforcement and protective agencies.

That medical framework helps explain why hospital staff flagged the newborn's injuries as inconsistent with a single accidental fall. Intentional injury to a child causing bodily injury is classified as a second-degree felony under Texas Penal Code § 22.04, according to the L&L Law Group, carrying a punishment range of two to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Texas law categorizes child injury offenses based on the perpetrator's culpable mental state and the extent of bodily harm inflicted, meaning the presence of healing injuries alongside a fresh one could factor into whether prosecutors pursue additional or elevated charges.

Parallel Investigations Beyond the Criminal Case

Under Chapter 261 of the Texas Family Code, Child Protective Services opens a parallel administrative investigation whenever severe physical harm to a child is reported to law enforcement, assessing household safety independently of the criminal case. That administrative track can lead to safety plans or court-ordered removals regardless of how the criminal charges resolve.

Severe child physical abuse cases in Bexar County are typically routed through ChildSafe, a multi-agency child advocacy center that co-houses the sheriff's office, the San Antonio Police Department's Special Victims Unit, Child Protective Services, and specialized prosecutors under one roof. Felony child abuse indictments in the county are prosecuted by a specialized Child Abuse Unit within the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney's Office, which coordinates directly with law enforcement task forces on physical injury cases, according to the San Antonio Report.

A Recurring Pattern in Local Cases

This is not the first time Bexar County deputies have investigated an infant fracture case this year. Hoodline previously reported on a broken femur case from May, in which the sheriff's office arrested another 21-year-old on child injury charges after an infant suffered a broken femur from forced physical pressure.

The volume of child abuse investigations across the county remains striking. Child Protective Services completed 11,140 child abuse and neglect investigations in Bexar County during fiscal year 2025, a rate of 19.3 investigations per 1,000 children that stands as the highest per-capita rate among major Texas metropolitan counties, according to data reported by the Texas Tribune. Separately, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services figures published by the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County showed that 3,325 children aged eight and under were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect in the county during 2024.

No additional charges have been filed against Rodriguez as of this report, and the sheriff's office has not detailed what further evidence might support an elevated or additional charge. The investigation remains open.