TROY, Mo. — A family is devastated, after their baby was shaken, then taken out of their custody. They say their babysitter confessed to the crime.
Mariah Ramirez And Derek Podany’s home is usually filled with laughter. Now, it’s eerily quiet. The baby bouncer and play mat lay empty.
On July 22nd, their baby spent the day with a babysitter, who was a close friend of Mariah. That night, Mariah says he was lethargic, then vomiting. A Lincoln County doctor told his parents it was a stomach bug. But by the next morning, the 5-month-old was rushed by ambulance to Cardinal Glennon.
“They told me he had a subdural hemorrhage, he had blood behind both of his eyes and two fractured ribs.” said Mariah Ramirez.
After some additional tests, doctors determined Daniel was shaken. The happy, laughing baby, now confined in a hospital room, with an IV in his head.
Mariah didn’t know how it happened, until she got a phone call from another mother. Mariah says the babysitter told this other mother about shaking Daniel.
“We don’t really know each other, but we’re very fortunate, because if she wouldn’t have come forward, we still wouldn’t have known.” said Mariah Ramirez.
Soon after this phone call, a St. Charles County detective told Mariah the babysitter confessed. Police tell us the investigation is now complete, and in the hands of the St. Charles County prosecutor.
But all this time, Daniel has been into protective custody, staying with his grandmother. His mother was told it’s a precaution for shaken babies, pending a criminal investigation.
“It’s just upsetting that right now there’s been a confession and we still don’t have him back.” said Mariah Ramirez. “It’s been really hard on us, and my son who had his injury, and then was taken from his parents.”
Once charges are filed, Mariah says Daniel will likely be back in her arms. Mariah hopes this nightmarish ordeal will help others realize the danger of shaking a baby.
“I mean we really trusted her and never thought this would have happened.” said Mariah Ramirez.
Doctors told these parents that the 5-month-old baby luckily won’t suffer any permanent damage. This is rare for shaken babies. Most suffer permanent damage and at least 25 percent of these victims die from the violent shaking.
