CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A babysitter in Chesterfield County was arrested for neglect after a 7-month-old girl died.
Police said Ashley Michelle Bonilla-Rodriguez arrived at Chippenham Hospital after a reported fall on Dec. 27 and was admitted to the hospital with severe head trauma. The child died three days later.
The child’s babysitter, 33-year-old Lirio Jazmin Godinez-Gonzalez, was arrested by detectives on Dec. 28 for felony child neglect. She is being held in the Chesterfield County Jail pending a court appearance on Jan. 3.
The infant’s uncle, Jose Nelson Hernandez Cruz, told 8News through a translator that Godinez-Gonzalez was watching the little girl while her parents were at work. Cruz said Godinez-Gonzalez called the baby’s mother and said she was unresponsive and needed to be picked up.
“She told her, ‘what’s wrong with my child?’ Call the ambulance if she’s unresponsive and she refused to,” Cruz said.
Someone from the mother’s work called the ambulance for the infant, who was then rushed to the hospital with a fractured skull.
“She was a big part in this household because she would come here and play with my daughter and I’m very sad,” Cruz told 8News. “This is just a great loss to the family.”
Police said the infant had a fall that fractured her skull but family is still left wanting answers.
“It’s difficult to understand how she got a fractured skull if she wasn’t crawling, she didn’t walk, she would just sit upright. So, it’s not something just happens,” Cruz said.
Cruz said the family is just planning to be there for the mother and father.
“I just don’t know how she’s going to cope with it. I don’t think she’s going to feel satisfied in any way no matter what happens with the babysitter. It’s just something that’s just gonna be there for the rest of her life,” Cruz told 8News.
Police continue their investigation into this incident and urge anyone with information to contact the Chesterfield County Police Department at 804-748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660, or through the P3 app.
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