A 39-year-old woman failed to call 911 or immediately alert anyone in the crucial moments after she fell on a baby in a Brooklyn Center home and inflicted head injuries that proved fatal days later, according to prosecutors.
Stephanie M. Walker, of Minneapolis, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree manslaughter in connection with injuring a 2-month-old boy as she held the child while going down a flight of stairs on Dec. 12 in 6300 block of N. Orchard Avenue.
The baby, whose identity has yet to be released, died on Dec. 14 from multiple skull fractures and severe brain swelling, the felony complaint read.
Walker remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Court records do not show an attorney for her.
Prosecutors noted that because of the delay in alerting authorities doctors missed out on a better opportunity to treat the boy’s severe head injuries.
According to police and the criminal complaint:
The baby was being watched for the weekend by a woman who said she was the foster mother to the child’s mother. There were three adults in all in the home at the time, and police described them as extended family members.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Dec. 12, the foster mother wanted to go to the store and gave in to Walker’s pleas to take over watching the baby despite concerns about Walker’s difficulty walking and standing because of severe arthritis.
Police were called to the home, located the badly injured child and provided lifesaving measures before he was taken by emergency medical responders to North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale. Walker told the officers on the scene that she didn’t know how the baby was injured.
After the boy died two days later, Walker told police she picked up the baby and headed downstairs to check on her son even though “she would not normally hold a baby while standing due to the issues with her legs,” the complaint read.
Walker said she fell while going down the stairs and landed on top of the baby on a concrete floor covered by linoleum. She admitted not seeking help for the child from anyone else in the home or call 911, “even after the [baby] stopped breathing,” the complaint continued.
A child abuse pediatrician said that had the baby received prompt attention, doctors could have had a better chance at treating the child’s injuries. The investigation found that anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes passed from when Walker fell on the baby until the child stopped breathing.
*story by Star Tribune