Two-month-old baby brain dead from injuries in Grand Island child abuse case
Babysitter faces felony charge
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - Grand Island Police have confirmed a two-month-old baby has no brain activity following injuries sustained earlier this week.
GIPD Captain Dean Elliott said a doctor at Children’s Hospital in Omaha said the infant boy was declared brain dead though he’s still on life support as of Thursday afternoon.
Once life support is removed, the county attorney’s office will upgrade the charge for the boy’s babysitter, 27-year-old Bianca Rivera Lima, to a felony child abuse resulting in death charge.
This all stems from an incident Monday afternoon.
Grand Island Police said officers and medical personnel responded to the 300 block of East 16th for a child not breathing.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered a two-month-old boy with a faint pulse and not breathing. Police said the child was rushed to CHI Health St. Francis and then flown to Children’s Hospital in Omaha.
Police said it was determined that the child had severe head trauma including a brain bleed from a violent incident.
A police affidavit reports that the Omaha doctors who treated the boy believed the injuries were intentional and resulted from severe shaking or “slamming.”
GIPD said the child was at the home of Rivera Lima, who was providing childcare for the infant. Police said Rivera Lima’s child as well as one other child in her care were in the home at the time.
Police said they interviewed Rivera Lima and it was determined her story and the injuries sustained didn’t match up.
She was eventually arrested for felony child abuse resulting in seriously bodily injury. Again, that charge likely will be amended due to the boy’s death.
Rivera Lima appeared in Hall County Court Thursday morning on the felony child abuse charge. Her bond was set at 10 percent of $250,000 with her next court appearance set for 10:15 a.m. on May 23.
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