Mom charged after bringing unconscious child, 4, to hospital with severe head injuries – NJ.com

A South Jersey child is hospitalized with serious injuries and her mother is jailed on aggravated assault and endangering charges, according to police.

Elinette S. Muniz, 21, of Millville, and her boyfriend brought her unconscious 4-year-old child to Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill last week, where medical personnel found multiple, severe injuries, including bleeding on the brain and damage to her chest, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The girl, who was placed on a ventilator, also had bruises all over her body and cuts to her mouth and nose.

She was tranfered to A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware.

Muniz told doctors that the child fell from a bunk bed, but the injuries didn’t match that explanation, according to police. She also told investigators that the child was injured in Glassboro, but later admitted it happened in Millville after police seized her cellphone to get GPS location data.

Muniz and her boyfriend agreed to a police search of their Millville apartment, where investigators found multiple pieces of bloodied children’s clothing and blood spatter on the walls of the girl’s bedroom.

Muniz admitted disciplining the child and striking her in the mouth and nose hard enough to draw blood, which she claimed accounted for the spatter on the walls. She went on to say the injuries to her head and body were the result of multiple falls because she suffered from seizures and kept hitting her head, according to police.

The boyfriend claimed he had seen Muniz “pop” the child in the mouth. He also said he had seen the girl fall multiple times and hit her head.

Police noted in their report that the couple stopped for gas and visited a liquor store on their way to the hospital with the unconscious girl.

“They stated they did not go to Vineland Hospital which was closest because they did not want Muniz’s family to find out,” the report adds.

The child has suffered multiple seizures since being hospitalized, remains on a ventilator and doctors are trying to determine the extent of her brain injuries, said Anita Simms-Doughty, the child’s great aunt.

The family is monitoring the child’s progress and hoping for the best. They don’t know for certain if she will survive.

“We don’t know. There’s no definite answer,” Simms-Doughty said. “I pray to God it’s not too late.”

The girl had previously stayed with Simms-Doughty and she recalled her as “the perfect angel.”

“She’s the sweetest little girl. She was always playing with our cats. She was so loving.”

The boyfriend is not the girl’s father, she said. The parents are no longer together, but the father has been speaking with police and is hoping to see his child today, Simms-Doughty said. Her nephew had faithfully visited his child in the past in an effort to remain a part of her life, she said.

Muniz was placed in Cumberland County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The boyfriend has not been charged.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.