A Cincinnati couple is facing felony charges after their two young sons turned up at Cincinnati Children's Hospital with a string of injuries doctors could not explain, including a toddler with at least four broken bones in various stages of healing. John Harrison, 50, and Nadine Dellipaoli, 36, were charged with felonious assault and child endangering following the August 8 hospital visit.
According to WKRC, Harrison and Dellipaoli took the boys, ages two and three, to the hospital that day, where doctors found numerous unexplained injuries documented in court papers. The couple told police they were the boys' only caregivers, but they were unable to explain the injuries, according to court documents.
A Pattern of Healing Fractures
The three-year-old's injuries were the most severe described in the case. He had a head injury, at least four broken bones in various stages of healing, and additional bruising and injuries, the outlet reported. Doctors also believed he was malnourished.
The younger boy, just two years old, had multiple areas of bruising, per the same report. The varying stages of healing described in the fractures suggest the injuries did not happen all at once, though the exact timeline beyond the August 8 hospital visit has not been detailed in available court filings.
Caregivers Could Not Explain the Injuries
Court documents indicate Harrison and Dellipaoli identified themselves as the only people responsible for caring for the two boys. When asked to account for the fractures, bruising and the older child's apparent malnutrition, the pair offered no explanation, the station's report states.
Child abuse cases involving unexplained fractures and signs of neglect have surfaced elsewhere in the region. In a separate case out of Elmwood Place last year, a nine-year-old boy was placed on life support, and court records say Angel Holland admitted the child complained of a stomach ache three days before police got involved but that she never sought medical care, according to WLWT.
Statewide, the stakes tied to substantiated child abuse and neglect cases are steep by any measure. The Public Children Services Association of Ohio has cited research estimating the lifetime economic burden to the United States from child abuse and neglect, based on 2018 substantiated cases, at roughly $592 billion — more than the toll from heart disease or diabetes — while noting that prevention could ultimately cost less than the harm itself, according to the Ohio Children's Trust Fund.
Details on the current custody status of the two boys, along with the couple's court dates and any pleas, have not been made public in the reporting available so far.
