A 9-week-old baby was taken to the hospital showing signs of abuse and hunger. He weighed less than he did at birth, and two people have been charged.
A criminal charge says that on June 13, officers from the Fairmont Police Department went to a house to check on a 9-week-old baby who was said to be in pain in his ribs.
During the check, police talked to the baby’s parents, Wendie Elicky (21), and Michael Newlin (27), both of Fairmont, and checked on the baby. According to the complaint, the parents said that “the baby was small, had rib flare, and mucous (gunk) over his eyes.”
Later that day, CPS and police went back to the home to do a check. They saw that the parents “had plenty of food for the infant, yet the infant was underweight,” and they “decided that the child needed to be taken to the emergency room for treatment,” the complaint said.
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Officers said that the child had “little to no muscle tone, very loose skin, complete definition of the infant’s rib/sternum, and his eyes being sunk in, showing definition of his skull due to such neglect.” Doctors who treated the child said that he had been “neglected due to being malnourished.”
So, the baby was taken to WVU Medicine Children’s for treatment. There, doctors found that the child “weighed less than his birth weight at 9 weeks old,” according to Wboy News.
The child “made significant improvements in health and was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive” due to “the neglect from” Elicky and Newlin while being treated from June 14 to June 17.
In the complaint, police said that Elicky and Newlin “have a history as neglectful parents with an extensive investigation from Virginia CPS.” They said that Elicky “ultimately relinquished the rights” of a child during the investigation.
Elicky and Newlin have been charged with child abuse that puts a child at risk of getting hurt. They have a $175,012 bond and are being held in North Central Regional Jail.