Extent of abuse and time frame indicated in mom’s arrest
Detective Lisa Miller conducted the investigation into the alleged physical abuse of Gootee’s infant son. According to the investigative report, Miller and Jessica Richardson the Family Case Manager from the Division of Child Services interviewed the childcare provider in regards to the incident.
The childcare provider had started providing care for the Gootee’s infant son approximately two weeks before the incident. She stated the child had been fussy during that time but that is normal for many children when they come to a new daycare. She also stated the infant was usually comforted when he was held but would fuss when he was lying down.
On the day of the incident, Tuesday, October 18, Gootee brought the infant to the daycare around 9:30 a.m. The provider fed him at approximately 10:15 a.m.; afterward the infant took a nap. At around 1:45 p.m. the provider changed his diaper and shortly after that he arched his back, had some type of “strange” respiration, and then went limp. The provider started rescue breathing until EMS arrived.
According to the report, the provider stated she had only watched the infant a few days. He started there on October 5. He was in attendance on the following two days (Thursday and Friday). The infant did not attend daycare over the weekend and missed on Monday October 10 due to a doctor’s appointment for vomiting that occurred on the 8th. Gootee brought the infant from Tuesday, October 11 to Friday, October 14. The provider stated he was fussy during this time but no more than he had been when he first started.
The weekend passed and Gootee did not bring the infant on Monday, October 17 because he was in the hospital that day. He had been admitted the day before for vomiting and dehydration.
Approximately 48 hours had passed between the time of the infant’s last day of attendance and Tuesday when he returned.
In regards to the incident of vomiting that occurred on October 8, the father, Logan Williams,stated he had the infant at a family birthday party that day. Gootee had dropped him off between 3 and 4 p.m. During the party the infant started to projectile vomit, this can occur from a head trauma. Williams contacted Gootee and told her the infant needed to go to the doctor.
It is thought that the projectile vomiting is from a head trauma that occurred in a 24 hour period prior to the vomiting as chronic incidents of head trauma were apparent in the hospital’s report noted on the examination conducted on October 18.
According to statements from the doctor it was determined that the victim had acute and chronic bilateral (both sides) 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 head trauma would have occurred in a 12 to 24 hour time frame (but not outside of 48 hours) 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.
In regards to the projectile vomiting the doctor stated it could have occurred within a 24 hour period of a head trauma and Gootee was again the only one with the infant during that time.
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 during the examinations conducted by Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
WOW how in the world could any mother do this? There is no reason in this whole world why a six mth old baby(or any child) should have to endure that. What could a six mth old possibly do (nothing) to make someone (HIS OWN MOTHER) do something so horrible? Its people like her that dont need children or even be allowed to be around children.
Obviously, the mother (Lindsay Gootee) was NOT the one who hurt the child.
Here's the proof:
First read the timeline in paragraph 3 of the updated story, where it says the baysitter fed the child at 10:15am and then put him down for a nap, and then changed his diaper at 1:45pm, and then called 911 shortly after that. ( at http://www.dcfreep.com/extent-of-abuse-and-timefr… )
Then read the paragraph in the middle of page 10 of the "Shaken Baby Syndrome Investigator's Manual", from the link below:
http://www.cbsmith.ca/SBS%20Investigator's%2… .
What kind of detective couldn't figure THAT one out?!
It only took about five minutes on google, for me. Sheesh!
They arrested the wrong person!
where is there reference in any reports to shaken baby syndrome? shaken baby syndrome and what this child likely suffered are two entirely different things. The resulting trauma are not going to be the same for both types of abuse.
It's right in the report, above: "The doctor further stated that the head injuries are consistent with an abusive head trauma."
"Abusive Head Trauma" is just a newer terminology for "Shaken Baby Syndrome" (SBS).
i worked with the mother for a while she seemed so happy and did not seem to be the type of person to do this it is shocking and sick who can do this to their child she desurves to sit for a long time it seems like children deaths r happening more and more these days it makes me sick i have a 4 month old and a 3 year old they are my life nobody better ever touch them i also dated the cousin of the father for 5 years this baby is lucky to b alive please make her sit
Lindsay is great, very level-headed in social situations… I have known her for years.. in knowing a person you see and, hopefully can acknowledge, both the good and bad. She does have a history of being verbally and physically violent in intimate relationships. I don't mean to imply she is capable of this child abuse but really her innocence or guilt isn't the most important thing right now, justice for an innocent infant, unable to defend himself against an attacker is what should be the focus rather than casting guilt or innocence. Over the years I have had many meaningful conversations with Lindsay, I hope and pray she did not do this, but the facts are someone did. I hope the guilty parties are brought to justice.
Can a child be shaken by one caregiver and not display symptoms
of that abuse until sometime later when they may be in the care
of someone else?
Simply put, no. A child who is violently shaken will be symptomatic immediately. They will not be able to walk, talk, crawl, follow objects with
their eyes, or eat. This is one of the most crucial pieces of information for investigators who can use the time when the child was last well (walking,
crawling, eating, smiling, etc.) as an “anchor point” on a time-line. When the child becomes unwell (e.g. a 911 call is placed) this should be
noted as a second point on the time-line. The period between the “anchor point” and the second point on the time-line is known as “the window
of opportunity”. Investigators then determine who was present with the child during this window of opportunity to determine who was responsible
for inflicting the injuries to the child. Critically, there is no peer reviewed medical research or evidence to suggest that a child will have a
“lucid interval”, or a time of being well, after being violently shaken.
No one has alleged the baby was shaken or is a victim of shaken baby syndrome.
Abusive head trauma/inflicted traumatic brain injury — also called shaken baby/shaken impact syndrome (or SBS) — is a form of inflicted head trauma.
I don't really know what to say about this whole situation except it is VERY VERY sad! I will say this. I am the mother of 2 beautiful little girls. And I can remember before becoming a mother saying how I could NEVER hurt my children. And I have been to the point of extreme anger with them where I have to walk away. I am not saying for a second that she done this because with so many other people around this baby in the timeframe that this happened, who knows. But I am saying to everyone who knows her well, that it can happen. The most loving parent can fly off the handle and hurt their child and regret it immediatly. I do say that her taking her child to the doctor/er shows she cares. And I will also say that my two girls were projectile vomiting for a while (they took turns daily it seemed like), and neither of them had any type of head trauma or any other type of trauma for that matter. It was a nasty bug that was going around and this poor little guy could have been suffering from that as well. So, all we can do is pray for everyone involved in this case and most importantly pray that little Carter gets well!!
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! Im with @hmmm on this one, this forum should be about talking about child abuse prevention and education or what people can do to help this innocent child. If you want to play court sign up for jury duty.
I have to totally agree that anyone is capable of anything. The police blew it, big time, on this one, by not focusing on the person or people with the baby during the "window of opportunity", just before 911 was called. I, for one, would like to know exactly why.
I have to disagree that this forum should be for discussing child abuse prevention and education. This is the "Comments" section below a news story. So it's for discussing that story. But if you want to play forum cop, knock yourself out.
On the other hand, maybe your "education" component could materialize, if this discussion somehow helps the Dubois County Prosecutor to find out that he has "been had", and has been misinformed and led astray by a deeply-flawed investigation.
There is a poor little baby out there who will possibly be seriously mentally and physically impaired for the rest of its life! The person who so-severely injured that baby needs to be identified and then a) never be able to hurt another child, b) be held responsible and punished, and c) pay for the costs incurred, pay for the future costs of any special needs, pay for the lost lifetime income difference that any impairments might cause, and pay for the loss of the normal quality-of-life that the poor baby should have had!
And just try to imagine being the mother, and the extreme heartache you would feel if this happened to your baby! And THEN imagine ALSO being falsely accused and arrested for it!!