A Miami Gardens man was taken into custody on Friday following claims from investigators that he inflicted abuse on his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, resulting in liver damage.
The Miami Gardens Police Department’s arrest report reveals that the inquiry into Oscar Cedell Miller, 25, commenced in late May when the child’s mother took the young boy to a hospital in Fort Myers.
Shortly before the trip to southwest Florida on May 25 to see her parents with the kids, the boy reportedly started to express discomfort in his stomach, according to police.
An arrest report reveals that she believed it was just gas and “did not think anything more of it.” However, upon arriving in Fort Myers, the boy persisted in expressing stomach pain, prompting his mother to seek medical care at a nearby children’s hospital.
“It was presumed the victim had gas pains or constipation issues, therefore, treatment for that began,” the report states. “The victim continued to complain of pain, which prompted further testing on the victim’s abdominal area. Medical staff discovered the victim had lacerations on his liver, which was consistent with physical trauma to the area.”
The report reveals that the woman informed detectives she had left Oscar in charge of the children two days earlier. Upon returning home during her lunch break, the victim expressed fear and a desire to leave with her.
“At that time, she left the residence with all three kids. While in the car, she noticed bruising on the left side of the victim’s face,” the report states. “(The mother) asked the victim what had happened and the victim replied that Oscar had struck him in the stomach with a closed fist.”
In a May 29 conversation with personnel at the Children’s Advocacy Center of South Florida, law enforcement reported that the young child expressed that his “tummy needed medicine” and mentioned that Miller “stepped on my tummy with his foot.”
The authorities reported that the boy claimed Miller “was being unkind to him” during that moment.
Officials reported that they had a conversation with Miller on Friday, during which he explained to detectives that the 3-year-old “pooped on the floor, and in response to discipline him, he started yelling at him, but did not strike the child.”
According to the report, he asserted that his girlfriend was “upset” by his outburst towards the children and subsequently decided to move out the following day.
Miller has been released from jail after posting a bond of $10,000, according to court records from Miami-Dade.
Reference: Local-10 News