A 19-year-old San Antonio man is behind bars after doctors at a downtown hospital determined that his 4-week-old son’s rib, arm and leg fractures could not have happened the way he described. Aaron Espinoza was arrested and charged with injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury after hospital staff flagged the infant’s injuries as inconsistent with any accidental explanation, according to an arrest affidavit.
According to KENS 5, San Antonio police were called to CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital on August 23 after staff found multiple unexplained physical injuries on the infant. The baby was reportedly seen gasping for air, and medical staff noted visible bruising, including a bruise on the back of the infant’s upper arm. Radiological scans confirmed multiple recent traumatic injuries, the affidavit states, and hospital staff completed a child abuse report.
The scans reportedly showed a spiral fracture of the left upper arm bone, nondisplaced fractures of the seventh and eighth left ribs, and a corner-type fracture near the lower end of the left shin bone. Both parents told investigators they did not know about the rib and leg injuries and said the arm injury was accidental, per the affidavit cited by the station.
A Story Doctors Say Doesn’t Match the Injuries
Espinoza told the infant’s mother, who was present when he repeated the account to investigators, that the baby’s left arm got caught in a onesie sleeve while he was changing him, and that he heard a popping sound while pulling the arm free, the affidavit states. He also told the infant’s mother that the arm had become stiff afterward. Hospital staff said the arm fracture did not seem accidental.
Child abuse pediatrics specialists went further, determining the injuries were not accidental and stating they did not believe Espinoza’s account of the incident. Per the affidavit, the specialists said the tibia fracture likely resulted from forceful pulling or yanking, and that another injury required a rotational or twisting force. As detailed in research from the American Academy of Pediatrics, corner fractures like the one found near the infant’s shin are considered highly specific indicators of non-accidental trauma in infants who cannot yet walk, since they typically result from shearing or torsional forces rather than routine falls or diaper changes.
The rib fractures presented their own red flag. Specialists told investigators the seventh and eighth rib injuries required direct anterior-posterior chest compression, and pediatric radiology guidance from the University of Texas Medical Branch notes that an infant’s rib cage is highly flexible and rarely fractures during accidental handling, making posterior rib fractures a strong marker of abuse. The affidavit reportedly states that Espinoza intentionally placed his forearm on the infant’s torso and applied forceful downward pressure to quiet the baby, and told a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services representative that he caused the rib injuries. He also said he was bothered by crying and was under high stress at home.
Investigators Say Espinoza Went Silent
An investigator tried calling Espinoza on August 26, but he failed to attend a scheduled interview that day and has not been in contact with officials since, according to the affidavit. The document describes Espinoza as having not cooperated with the investigation. He was charged with injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury on Monday and is being held in Bexar County jail on a $150,000 bond.
Under Texas Penal Code § 22.04, intentionally or knowingly causing serious bodily injury to a child 14 years of age or younger is a first-degree felony, according to FindLaw. A conviction can carry a state prison sentence ranging from 5 to 99 years or life, along with a fine of up to $10,000. Hospital staff’s decision to report the case so quickly reflects Texas Family Code § 261.101, which the Texas Department of State Health Services notes requires licensed healthcare professionals to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours of discovery.
Part of a Troubling Local Pattern
Espinoza’s case is the third in recent months in which Bexar County authorities say hospital staff uncovered infant fractures that did not match a caregiver’s explanation. Hoodline previously reported that deputies arrested a 21-year-old on August 25 after a newborn was found with multiple new and healing fractures inconsistent with an accidental fall, and that man was held on a $75,000 bond. In May, another Bexar County arrest involved a 21-year-old charged after an infant suffered a broken femur that investigators attributed to forcible pressing.
The cases arrive against a backdrop of persistently high child maltreatment numbers in the county. ChildSafe San Antonio reports that Bexar County confirms roughly 4,800 cases of child abuse and neglect each year, one of the highest confirmed rates among major Texas metro areas, with nearly half of victims under age five. The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes such felony cases through a dedicated Child Abuse Unit staffed by 22 prosecutors who work closely with hospital pediatric specialists on these investigations.
Statewide, the numbers show how difficult these cases can be to substantiate. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services conducts more than 136,000 child protective investigations annually, but fewer than 25 percent result in confirmed findings of abuse or neglect, according to the San Antonio Report. Cases involving severe infant fractures, however, tend to trigger specialized forensic review, as CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital’s findings did in Espinoza’s case. The hospital delivers its pediatric care through an academic partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, which oversees the facility’s pediatric faculty and child abuse specialists. It remains unclear whether Espinoza has secured legal representation or when his case will next appear in court, and whether Texas DFPS has initiated separate civil proceedings regarding parental rights.
