Stephen Michael Palmer and Tina Joy Palmer (Miami-Dade Corrections)
A married couple in Florida has been arrested after they allegedly beat their 2-month-old son within an inch of his life, leaving the newborn with 18 broken ribs and permanent brain damage.
Stephen Michael Palmer, 42, and his wife, Tina Joy Palmer, 37, were both taken into custody on Friday and charged with one count each of child neglect resulting in great bodily harm, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Additionally, Stephen Palmer is facing one count of aggravated child abuse or torture resulting in great bodily harm.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ, emergency medical personnel on the morning of Jan. 3, 2023, responded to a call regarding an unresponsive infant at Edwards Apartments, a housing unit located in the 900 block of Collins Avenue in South Beach. Stephen Palmer reportedly called 911 and said that he found his son unconscious while his wife was at work. He later told police that when he first saw his son that morning the boy had “blue colored lips.”
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders reportedly located the victim and performed CPR as they rushed him to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors were able to resuscitate the child, but due to the severity of his condition, he was intubated and airlifted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for more specialized treatment.
Medical personnel contacted the Miami-Dade Police Department and notified police that the victim’s injuries “presented a level of concern” that was consistent with regular physical abuse, WTVJ reported.
The boy suffered 18 rib fractures — many of which were in different stages of healing — and a fractured right hand along with a brain bleed, neurological damage, and a “visibly bruised and swollen left testicle that was hemorrhaged,” Miami ABC affiliate WPLG reported.
Additionally, doctors reportedly told investigators that the brain injuries suffered by the newborn were likely to cause permanent scarring.
“It was noted that these injuries were not consistent with CPR and were deemed highly suspicious for non-accidental trauma indicative of severe physical abuse,” police wrote in the affidavit, per WTVJ.
In interviews with the victim’s parents, both Stephen and Tina Palmer allegedly said they had no idea how their son had suffered his near-fatal injuries.
Stephen Palmer did note that since his wife worked two different jobs, he was the boy’s primary caregiver, WPLG reported. He allegedly told police detectives that he believed his son had colic, which caused the boy to run a fever, throw up, and cry more than usual. However, he was reportedly “unable to explain the events that occurred prior to finding (the victim) unresponsive.”
Stephen Palmer added that his son may have suffered a litany of injuries because he was “very fragile,” WTVJ reported.
Tina Palmer reportedly told police that her son had been acting “fussier” than usual and also reiterated that he’d been crying more than normal. She allegedly said that she thought his behavior was due to her son drinking less milk than normal which caused him to be excessively congested.
Stephen Palmer is being held without bond while Tina Palmer is being held on $100,000 bond.
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