A 20-year-old Beaverton father is facing felony charges in two separate child abuse cases after a 3-month-old baby was found with a healing rib fracture and bruises covering his cheeks, arms, legs and stomach, and a 14-year-old boy told police he was strangled nearly to the point of losing consciousness months earlier. Mathew Justin Keeler-Mitchell told investigators he sometimes blacked out for 20 minutes at a time and believed he had multiple violent personalities, according to court documents.
The infant case surfaced after a Department of Human Services report in early July led police to find evidence of abuse, according to court documents cited by KATU. A medical evaluation at Randall Children's Hospital found suspected physical abuse of the child, whose injuries included the healing rib fracture and widespread bruising. Police also reported observing Keeler-Mitchell handling his son in a rough manner at Westside Pediatrics.
Keeler-Mitchell claimed the infant's bruises resulted from accidents in the shower and while sleeping with his son, the station's report notes. But he also told officers where the assault occurred, said he blacked out during the attack, and said he realized his hands hurt from punching the boy only after he came to. He told investigators he was sorry for hurting the boy.
A Second Case Involving a Teenage Victim
Months before the infant case emerged, Beaverton police arrested Keeler-Mitchell following an incident on Southwest Denney Road in March. In that case, a 14-year-old boy told police he was repeatedly punched and kicked and identified Keeler-Mitchell as his attacker, according to court documents. The teen said he was strangled until he nearly lost consciousness and believed he was going to die.
Keeler-Mitchell is charged with fourth-degree assault and strangulation in the March case. Under Oregon law, strangulation is typically a misdemeanor but rises to a Class C felony — punishable by up to five years in prison — when committed against a minor, as outlined in Oregon Revised Statutes § 163.187. Fourth-degree assault similarly escalates from a misdemeanor to a felony when committed in the presence of a minor child, per ORS § 163.160.
Felony Counts and Looming Arraignment
Keeler-Mitchell was arraigned on September 1 on seven counts of third-degree assault and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment tied to the infant case. Both charges are Class C felonies. Third-degree assault applies when an adult intentionally or knowingly injures a child age 10 or younger, carrying up to five years in prison per count under ORS § 163.165. First-degree criminal mistreatment, defined under ORS § 163.205, covers caregivers who intentionally or knowingly cause physical injury or withhold necessary care from a child, and carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison along with fines up to $125,000.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on the grand jury indictment on September 9. It remains unclear whether that proceeding will consolidate the March case involving the teenager with the infant abuse case, or what mental health evaluations, if any, might be ordered given Keeler-Mitchell's claims of blacking out and having multiple personalities. The Beaverton man is currently held on $60,000 bail across the two criminal cases.
How the Cases Were Investigated
Complex child abuse cases like these are typically handled through Washington County's Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team, which coordinates deputy district attorneys, local police, DHS social workers and medical personnel, according to the Washington County District Attorney's Office. Randall Children's Hospital works in direct partnership with CARES Northwest, a children's advocacy center serving Multnomah and Washington counties that conducts pediatric medical evaluations, forensic interviews and trauma therapy for suspected abuse cases, according to CARES Northwest. In addition to its main facility at Legacy Emanuel in Portland, the organization operates a satellite clinic at Cornell Medical Plaza in Beaverton to serve Washington County families more locally.
Oregon's statewide Child Abuse Hotline, 1-855-503-SAFE, operates around the clock, and state rules require only reasonable suspicion — not conclusive proof — for medical professionals or members of the public to trigger a Child Protective Services report, according to CARES Northwest. That relatively low threshold is part of a broader push by state officials to catch abuse earlier: the Oregon Department of Human Services reported in August that 61% of Child Protective Services assessments statewide were completed within the required 60-day window during the first quarter of 2026, up sharply from 39.5% during the same period in 2025.
Still, the increase in timely assessments comes against a troubling backdrop. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported in May that rates of serious physical, emotional or sexual harm to children within Oregon's child welfare system reached an all-time high in 2025, prompting state child welfare leadership to implement new safety monitoring protocols despite a 2024 class-action settlement aimed at reducing abuse in state care.
