A Santaquin couple is facing first-degree felony charges nearly three months after they were first arrested over injuries to their infant daughter, whose tiny body showed multiple broken bones in varying stages of healing. Steven Charles Schoebinger, 30, and Kayla Rae Schoebinger, 29, were each charged Monday with aggravated child abuse in 4th District Court.
The case traces back to July 29, 2026, when the Schoebingers brought their 2-month-old daughter to a local hospital because she wasn't moving her arm, according to charging documents cited by KSL News. A skeletal survey turned up a break in the infant's left upper arm along with additional fractures to her left wrist, both sides of her ribs, and her hands and feet — all in different stages of healing, the charging documents state. The couple was arrested the following month, in August 2026, on suspicion of aggravated child abuse, though formal charges weren't filed until Monday.
Doctors Ruled Out an Accidental Explanation
Investigators determined the injuries were non-accidental based on their number, type and varying stages of healing, according to the charging documents. The parents indicated to police that an accident involving a sibling may have caused the fractures, per a police booking affidavit described in the same report.
But doctors pushed back on that explanation. A doctor told investigators the humerus fracture would have required a yanking or yanking-and-twisting motion, the booking affidavit states, and said the child's rib injuries were inconsistent with her brother somersaulting on her. Doctors also tested the infant for disorders that could cause her to bruise easily and found no blood diseases that would explain the injuries, according to the affidavit.
Not an Isolated Case in Utah
The Santaquin case follows a string of similar prosecutions across the state this year. Just days earlier, on Oct. 29, Jarrid Anthony Stoklosa and Amelia Mae Ramirez, both 21, were arrested in Cedar City after their 1-month-old son was found with multiple fractures to his ribs, arm and leg in various stages of healing, ksl.com reported. Ramirez was charged with seven counts of aggravated child abuse in that case.
In the week of Aug. 24–30, Fayette Whitehorse was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse after her three-month-old twins were found with multiple fractures, with one infant also suffering a brain hemorrhage, according to a report by dailymail.com. And back in January 2024, St. George father Carlos Ceja, then 20, was charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse after his 4-month-old was found with a fractured right femur and three other fractures in different healing stages; police said Ceja allegedly admitted that two of the injuries happened during a fit of anger and two were due to reckless behavior, ksl.com reported at the time.
Resources for Families in Crisis
The Utah Division of Child and Family Services says it aims to keep children with their families when it's possible and safe to do so, offering counseling, parenting skills support, conflict resolution and connections to community resources. The agency runs a statewide child abuse and neglect hotline at 1-855-323-DCFS (3237). The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition separately operates a confidential, statewide 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465), and the Christmas Box House serves as a temporary shelter for children, offering clothing, shoes and other services through its Salt Lake office at 801-747-2201 or its Ogden office at 801-866-0350.
