A 4-month-old girl remains in life-threatening condition at a Nashville hospital after police say she suffered serious head trauma and retinal hemorrhaging while in the care of her mother's boyfriend, a man with two prior convictions for harming children. Bobby Randall Conner Jr., 32, was arrested this week and charged with aggravated child abuse, and he remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.
Metro Nashville Police officers were called to the 1700 block of 24th Avenue North just before 5 p.m. on September 19, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Officers found the infant unresponsive; her mother, whose boyfriend is Conner, was away at work at the time, the department said. The child was rushed to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, per police, as reported by WKRN News 2.
Conner told police he had been lying in bed with the child while her mother was at work, and that he got up momentarily to use the restroom, according to the station's report. He reportedly told investigators he noticed the child was unresponsive when he returned. Doctors determined the infant suffered serious internal head injuries and retinal hemorrhaging, which police say is indicative of abuse, per the same account. The child remains in life-threatening condition, according to Metro Nashville Police.
A Pattern of Prior Convictions
Conner's arrest this week is not his first brush with child abuse charges. He was convicted of child abuse in August 2020, according to a statement from the police department shared on Facebook. That conviction resulted in a four-year sentence, police said.
Then, just one month before the alleged abuse of the 4-month-old, Conner was convicted of child neglect stemming from a March 2025 incident, according to Metro Nashville Police. That August 2026 conviction carried a one-year sentence, according to police.
What the Charge Carries Under State Law
Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-15-402, aggravated child abuse committed against a child under 8 is classified as a Class A felony, according to Justia Law. Aggravated child abuse and second-degree murder share a Class A felony classification in Tennessee.
Doctors reported head injuries and retinal hemorrhaging in the infant's case. The child was taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, which is the only verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center within a 150-mile radius of Nashville, according to Vanderbilt Health News. Severe physical abuse and felony assault cases involving juveniles in Davidson County are handled by the police department's specialized Youth Services Division, per Metro Nashville Police.
Child Welfare in Tennessee
Tennessee's child welfare system has drawn attention after FOX 17 News reported a record number of child deaths in 2025.
Davidson County Sheriff's Office records confirm Conner remains jailed on the $500,000 bond as the investigation continues. No additional details on a court date have been made public.
