Developing story on the Lindsay Gootee arrest
The following information is from the affidavit for the arrest of Lindsay Gootee for the aggravated battery of her infant.
On October 18, EMS had been called to a licensed residential daycare provider due to an infant making a “strange respiration”, arching his back, and going limp in his playpen. The provider had performed rescue breathing until EMS arrived. Jasper PD was dispatched to the scene as well.
Once the infant arrived at Memorial Hospital the attending physician suspected the infant had a subdural hematoma or bleeding on the brain possibly from a head injury. EMS and Memorial Staff contacted the Department of Child Services due to the extent of injuries and the victim was flown to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
While at Memorial Hospital emergency room, Detective Lisa Miller stated she observed a swollen “torpedo shaped” area above the bridge of the victim’s nose. She spoke with a nurse that was assisting with the victim’s care. The nurse stated the victim was admitted to the hospital the previous day for vomiting and dehydration and at that time the nurse had observed the same swelling although less pronounced than it was now.
After further testing it was determined that the victim had acute and chronic hematomas, the right tibia (the larger of the two bones in the lower leg or the shin bone) was fractured, and the other possibly fractured. He also had blood present in his eyes (retinal hemorrhaging). The doctor further stated that the head injuries are consistent with an abusive head trauma.
Miller inquired about the time frame for the injuries and was informed the acute head trauma would have occurred in a 12 to 24 hour time frame before the seizure. Gootee lives alone with the infant and is separated from the infant’s father, Logan Williams. According to her original statement she was alone with the infant during that time frame.
An acute hematoma is described as occurring within hours or days whereas a chronic hematoma is one that could have occurred weeks or months ago. Both were present in the victim.
- Jasper woman arrested for aggravated battery of a 6 month old
- Developing story on the Lindsay Gootee arrest
- Extent of abuse and time frame indicated in mom’s arrest
- Gootee arraigned today in Dubois Circuit Court
- Detective Miller says the Gootee case is ongoing
- Lindsay Gootee pretrial hearing today
How could you do that to a baby or a child.!!!! How horrible!
She didn't, she would never hurt her child.
Apparently she did. A fractured tibia does not happen in a baby unless he/she is abused. And blood in the eyes? Yes, because that happens ALL of the time with babies. what trash to hurt a child.
Emily I am with you, she would never hurt her child under normal instances. However, any mother can reach a point where she is soooo stressed and pressured that they have a moment of "insanity". There is a big difference in ABUSING and accidentally injuring. Linsay would never ABUSE her son. And as none of us was there walking in her shoes we really dont know what happened, all we can do is give lindsay our care and support.
Cathy, I totally agree!! We need to all just stop the name calling & bashing & just WAIT till it ALL comes out.. and most of all PRAY for everyone involved!
I think jumping to conclusions could put an innocent woman in jail (I'm not making a stance on if she is on isn't). This could have easily been a fall or other accident within the home. Being the age of the infant, it probably would have stemmed from lack of attention by the mother but to assume that she must have beaten the child is a little quick thinking here.
Let's suppose the baby fell. Did she not notice? I understand healthcare is expensive, but lives aren't cheap either. Supposing it was not abuse (and it wasn't a stress induced fit of insanity, as suggested above) its at the very least willful neglect. Which isn't drastically better. Abusers are without pardon, but at least you can pinpoint a sickness they have and they can be treated for it. A fractured tibia not being a big deal? That's silly.
She took him to the hospital, didn't she? And the doctor before that. Would she really do that if she wa abusing him? Check out that daycare provider.
Acute hematomas head trauma generally occurs within minutes to hours of the head injury…how long had the baby been in the daycare? Could it have been the provider or another child? Chronic subdural hematoma can actually occur weeks after an incident. I hope they are able to figure out who did this. Sounds to me like the mother needs to be with her baby at this time.
The "12-24 hours" is almost-certainly incorrect. In a severe case, like this apparently was, it would be more like minutes.
Maybe I'm missing it… But where does it say she is guilty? It also says the baby was with the sitter. Why is no one questioning the sitter?
How do you no this how long did the babesitter have the child before calling for help
I know her personally and she is the last person to touch her kid so when proven that it wasn't her you all will feel like #@# for saying @#$ you don't know about her so when she is proven guilty then talk about it. But she never once touched her son nor would ever, plus its stupid you all trash talking someone you don't know. Plz its hard enough on her and her family just stop. When the courts take over and prove her to not be guilty then you all will see how quick people are to point fingers.
Because responding to presented evidence is trash talking.
I don't personally know this girl but I know a few people who do. I heard that the babysitter had to take a lie detector test and she passed it as did the father. And as far as everyone saying they know her and they KNOW she wouldn't do anything to hurt her baby….u can only know so much about a person.The stuff they want u to know. I was with my sons father for 2 years and thought I knew him pretty damn well and get a call one day that he was arrested for child molestation. Never in a million years would I have thought he would do sumthing like that…but he did. Maybe she didn't intentionally mean to do it….maybe she didn't do it at all. Only she knows the truth. But jst because u think u know a person doesn't make her innocent. Nor does it make her guilty. I'm praying for her and the baby….such awful news
in severe subdural hematoma cases, it happens almost instantaneously.
memorial hospital shoulda reported to the police the when the child was hospitalized. the child went home and shouldnt have
I am just wondering why the doctor and hospital did not see the signs and if they did why did they not report the abuse?….regardless of who did it.
To anyone that says,” oh there is no way she did this I know her personally.” You are naive. ANYONE is capable of ANYTHING, period! And for all the people who know her so well I hope your doing whatever you can to be supportive of that innocent child. I pray our system doesnt let him down. (again.)
"Our system" IS letting the baby down. It apparently botched the investigation and arrested the wrong person, depriving the child of its mother, and is actively trying to make that worse by putting her in prison, while letting the real perpetrator be free to possibly injure other babies.
Think about it. A child who is hit by a car at 9:00am does not suddenly show symptoms of a severe crash injury at 1:45pm. The symptoms present themselves immediately. A baby who is severely shaken on a Monday evening or a Tuesday morning does not remain functional until Tuesday afternoon and then suddenly collapse. When the shaking is violent (as in this case), producing severe trauma, the symptoms present at once.
The ONLY people in all of the justice systems and child protective services in the whole country who didn't believe that, until now, were the defense attorneys and their hired expert witnesses, when they were trying to get child abusers off the hook by saying it "might" be "possible" that the injury event occured at an earlier time.
So why is OUR little local piece of the justice system so completely clueless?
The symptoms do not necessarily present themselves immediately.
Symptoms of subdural hemorrhage have a slower onset than those of epidural hemorrhages because the lower pressure veins bleed more slowly than arteries. Therefore, signs and symptoms may show up in minutes, if not immediately but can be delayed as much as 2 weeks.
Sanders MJ and McKenna K. 2001. Mosby’s Paramedic Textbook, 2nd revised Ed. Chapter 22, "Head and facial trauma." Mosby.
You are mixing up the symtpoms of two different things, Jason.
"The symptoms" of SBS, when it's severe, do present themselves immediately. That can hardly be disputed.
The tming of the symptoms of subdural hemorrhage is not the main issue, since subdural hemorrhage is just one of the results of severe SBS. Nevertheless, if a subdural hemorrhage is severe, its symptons will also present themselves within minutes, if not immediately.
Yes, and don't forget, folks, contrary to how so many of you are rushing to judgement – in this case a sort of judgement in reverse (innocent rather than guilty, against the police, the hospital, and the caretaker, etc) – there are still many facts not disclosed to the public (you, me, all of us). Yes, by law a person is indeed innocent until proven guilty – this young mother is no different. But don't be so quick to declare her innocent and cast disparaging comments on people, processes and facts that are not yet known to you.
The only thing I'll add is this: Given all the bad publicity about botched police investigations over the years, esp since the OJ Simpson case – and many of them were indeed botched or premature, based on improper evidentiary findings, etc, plus made worse by our system of allowing for rediculous loop holes by high-profile defense attorneys and judges – I would say that most police departments are very careful about such matters. They want to be as certain as in initially possible before making an arrest. Again, many facts are still not disclosed, and "beyond reasonable doubt" is a long way from a guilty verdict these days. Our justice system is still the best – the envy of the world – but it's not perfect, despite those who try to make it so. Let it play out.
I do not knnow hher and I will no pass judgement. I'm just trying to fathom how someone can break a 6 month olds bones? Ossification has not taken place and their bones are still "soft". I can't even begin to imagine what this family is going through. I send prayers to them, but most of all I hope this baby doesn't fall through the cracks of the justice system and whoever did this, gets the punishment they deserve.
Sorry Tom, but that is not my opinion or confusion. It is cited from a reputable medical book. I am not claiming guilt or innocence for anyone, just citing things mentioned as facts that weren't correct.
Hi Jason. My point was that you cited about subdural hemorrhage symptoms and not SBS symptoms.
So, could shaken baby syndrome cause the broken bones?? I am very confused about the "time frame" thing. I'm definitely no medical expert, but I still don't see how they can rule out the babysitter or the dad, or anyone else whose care the baby had been in. Has Lindsay admitted to doing this? Also, kinda weird there are no reports of illness (at least not stated in the news), before the baby started at the new sitter. Seems like the vomiting started around the same time the baby started going to the new sitter.
You do realize the article stated the baby was hospitalized the day before with vomiting and dehydration. Vomiting can cause dehydration. But if that didn't cause the dehydration then the fact the child was dehydrated is a sign of child abuse.