A man and a woman are facing child abuse charges after a newborn was discovered with burns and bite marks in Iredell County last week.
Deputies from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a house on Powder Horn Road on July 23 to assist with a welfare check on a 10-month-old child.
Before the welfare check, the baby’s family contacted the sheriff’s office because they spotted bruises and other strange markings on the infant.
The baby was transferred to the hospital, where medical personnel assessed that the injuries were consistent with physical abuse.
A sheriff’s office detective interviewed witnesses and family members and gathered evidence from medical examinations at both Iredell Memorial Hospital and Brenner’s Children’s Hospital.
Medical specialists decided that the child’s injuries were the result of intentional abuse, with some seeming to be cigarette lighter burns and bite marks.
Martavious Levar Smith and Shalisa Monai Lowe were arrested and charged with felony child abuse with the intent to cause significant bodily injury.
Smith received a $100,000 secured bail, while Lowe’s was set at $80,000. According to jail records, both were still in custody.
Read More: 7-month-old Baby Boy Dead after Mother Left Him in Bathtub Intentionally in South Carolina Residence