Emily Sueann Zartman, 20, Milford, was arrested for the neglect of a dependent Tuesday evening after authorities determined injuries to her child were not accidental.
The Indiana Department of Child Services received a call from Kosciusko Community Hospital in November stating an infant had bilateral parietal bone fractures and a scalp hematoma, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Kosciusko County Proescutor’s Office. The infant was transferred to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.
When questioned by authorities, Zartman said she had propped the infant up with a pillow to change its diaper and the infant then fell off of the bed. But both hospitals said the infant’s injuries were not consistent with the story Zartman described, according to the affidavit.
Zartman told authorities she and her husband both live with her parents. She said she was home alone with the infant when it fell, and though it didn’t display any behavioral changes, she took it to receive a CT scan. After completion, the infant was transferred to Lutheran Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the hospital contacted CPS.
Dr. Jayesh Patel with Lutheran confirmed to authorities that the injuries were inconsistent with the story Zartman was telling. The infant had a skull fracture on both sides of the skull and a retinal hemorrhage in its right eye. These injuries stem from shaking a child or hitting its head between two objects and could not come from falling off of a bed, according to the affidavit.
Dr. Patel said the injuries are consistent with child abuse. Officials also received a report from Dr. Shannon Thompson, Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, who was concerned that the injuries to the skull were from non-accidental trauma.
Zartman told authorities that during pregnancy, she had a hip and back injury and she was prescribed methadone for her pain. Her parents have been drug testing her because they believe she is addicted to the medication and she failed her last drug test on Nov. 17, the affidavit states.
Zartman is being held in Kosciusko County jail on a $10,000 bond.
(Story By The Times Union)
