Infant Sustains ‘Catastrophic Injuries’ at Indiana Home, Parents Arrested After Giving ‘Conflicting Stories’ to Authorities: Police

The parents of a 5-month-old boy in Indiana have been arrested after authorities say the infant suffered life-threatening injuries while at home.

Around 9:30 p.m. on July 26, Cheyenne Elmore-Sitz, 23, and Javontae Goldsby, 31, called 911 and reported finding their son not breathing in his crib at their apartment in Evansville, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.

Goldsby began CPR on the child while first responders were en route to the apartment, officials said.

Once at the scene, first responders took over life-saving measures and were able to restore a pulse to the child. He was transported to St. Vincent Hospital and placed on a ventilator, authorities said.

Medical staff was able to stabilize the infant and due to the severity of his injuries, he was transported to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis for more specialized care, officials said.

Officials said medical exams showed the infant “sustained a skull fracture, subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages and subarachnoid bleeding.”

The injuries were “consistent with violent shaking and/or an impact” and he was “diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and is not likely to survive,” authorities said.

Officials added that the injuries were “described by doctors as inflicted injuries” and medical personnel said the “infant’s life-threatening condition would have been obvious around the time the infant was reportedly put to bed.”

Detectives began an investigation into the circumstances of the child’s injuries and said “neither parent could offer any explanation, accidental or otherwise, for the infant’s injuries.”

Elmore-Sitz and Goldsby told authorities that the baby had not been in anyone else’s care during the time period in which the injuries occurred and “denied inflicting the injuries or having any knowledge or belief that the other had hurt the infant,” officials said.

However, authorities said the couple gave “conflicting stories” regarding who put the infant to bed prior to finding him not breathing.

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Based on the interviews with the parents and physical evidence found at the scene, Elmore-Sitz and Goldsby were taken into custody and charged with one count of neglect of a defendant resulting in catastrophic injury and one count of aggravated battery, authorities said.

They were booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail and are both being held on $1 million bonds, officials said. They are both due back in court on Aug. 4.

The couple has two other children, both of whom were placed in the protection of the Department of Child Services, officials said.