Parents jailed after baby boy found with 6 untreated broken bones, Florida cops say

A baby brought to a hospital for an arm injury left staff stunned when closer inspection revealed he had 6 untreated broken bones, some of them months old, according to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office in North Florida.

The boy is only 6 months old, the sheriff’s office said in a May 1 news release.

His parents were arrested April 28 and face abuse charges, officials said.

“The victim was taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital earlier (that) week for what detectives originally believed was a fractured arm,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Unfortunately, as the investigation unfolded, detectives learned the child had suffered a total of six broken bones in his upper and lower extremities. Some of the injuries were believed to have occurred weeks or months prior and had gone untreated.”

Witnesses told detectives they observed instances of “despicable” abuse in the family’s home, officials said. This included verbal abuse of the child and instances of him being “inappropriately” handled when he cried, the sheriff’s office said.

Andrea Southard, 22, and Donald Holland, 23, have been charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators did not provide an update of the boy’s condition.

Baker County is just west of Jacksonville, along the Georgia state line.

This story was originally published May 2, 2023 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Parents jailed after baby boy found with 6 untreated broken bones, Florida cops say."