A 3-week-old baby had a fractured skull. Parents didn’t tell doctors she fell, cops say

The parents of a 3-week-old child were arrested after a hospital’s Child Protection Team determined their baby’s head wounds were caused by blunt force trauma, according to Sarasota police.

Police said Paige Lubaski, 18, of Sarasota, took her infant daughter to Sarasota Memorial Hospital on July 14, saying the baby was sick.

Hospital staff called police and the Department of Children and Families after finding “unexplainable head injuries,” according to a probable cause affidavit. Lubaski told investigators the marks were from the baby hitting her head on a dresser during a diaper change.

DCF investigators told police a “thorough exam” of the baby’s head was done and there were no signs of foul play. The injury, DCF determined, was an accident. Police noted no scan of the baby’s head was taken at that time.

On July 18, Lubaski and the infant went back to SMH after a follow-up appointment with the baby’s pediatrician, who found swelling and fluid in the baby’s head. A scan at SMH found a skull fracture and a small brain bleed, according to the affidavit. Hospital staff called investigators to return.

The baby was sent to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg because of the serious injury. The director of the Pinellas County Child Protection Team later told investigators she found the baby’s injury could be several days old and was caused by blunt force trauma. However, she could not determine exactly what caused the injury.

Police noted Lubaski told multiple stories in several interviews of how the baby was hurt, but eventually told the investigators about a fall. She said it was raining when she was walking down the stairs to take her baby to the hospital and the baby fell from the car carrier and hit her head on a metal step, landing on her back on the concrete, according to the affidavit.

The baby cried for a moment, but stopped. Lubaski said they were going going to the hospital anyway so she put the baby in the car.

Lubaski did not tell doctors about the baby falling or hitting her head and was only there because the child was throwing up, according to the affidavit.

She said she did not tell anyone about the fall because she did not want to get in trouble or for people to think she was a bad mother, police wrote in the affidavit. Police arrested Lubaski on a charge of neglect of a child with great bodily harm, and has since bonded out of the Sarasota County jail.

Police also interviewed the child’s father, Edgar Estrada, 23, of Sarasota. He told police he was not home and “whatever Paige said happened is what happened,” according to the affidavit. Estrada also said he did not know about the child’s fall until Paige told investigators on July 18.

Police also spoke to another woman who said Estrada called her July 14 and said Lubaski was taking the baby to the hospital because she had a concussion. The woman said Estrada did not reveal how the baby had a concussion, but said the baby was throwing up because of medicine, according to the affidavit.

Estrada was charged with neglect of a child with great bodily harm principle. Police said he knew about the infant’s injuries and did not call law enforcement. Estrada was still in jail as of Tuesday morning.

The baby is expected to survive her injuries and is in the hospital.

This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 11:26 AM.