A woman accused of failing to take her 3-year-old daughter to get medical care after the child suffered multiple broken bones has been charged with second-degree criminal mistreatment, according to court records.
The 31-year-old woman is scheduled to be arraigned later this month in Pierce County Superior Court.
Charging papers filed Wednesday give this account of what happened:
Relatives brought the toddler to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital on March 19. She had six fractures: a broken leg, broken arm and broken fingers.
"In addition she had scarring on her thigh, forehead and lower back consistent with being struck with objects," the declaration for determination of probable cause says. "Medical also noted that the victim had significant patchy hair loss which is consistent with violent hair pulling."
The relatives said they believed the girl's mother was hurting her.
They hadn't seen the child for a couple months before March 19. During that visit they saw that her face, arms, neck and chest had swelling and bruising.
A cut was healing on the child's head.
She said that her mother caused the injuries, and the relatives took her to Mary Bridge.
Child Protective Services spoke with the mother, who said the toddler had fallen off a scooter.
"She said she knew the victim was injured but chose not to take her to get medical attention because she knew CPS would take the victim and police would arrest her," the probable cause statement says. "Police noted the defendant has a history with CPS regarding abuse referrals on her children."
The child said some injuries came from falling, some came from her mother and her mother's boyfriend hitting her.
She said her mother told her to say the injuries were from falling.
Police spoke with the boyfriend, who said he and the mother had been using methamphetamine.
He said the child couldn't walk for a few weeks after she fell off the scooter and that he told the mother to take the child to a doctor.
The child also fell off a coffee table, he told police.
The mother hit, spanked and pinched the victim, he said.
For instance, he said the mother spanked the the toddler when she peed herself.
The 3-year-old couldn't get to the bathroom in time because of her broken ankle, he said.
