In case that shocked doctors, mother of toddler who died of "unbelievable" injuries is arrested
Editor's Note: Our earlier article on this case had a number of errors that were pointed out to us by our alert readers. The article has been updated to reflect the necessary corrections. The errors are deeply regretted.
On the morning of July 28, a toddler, Paisley Hudson, was driven to a hospital in Anderson, Indiana by her mother Kayla Hudson. The 23-month-old Paisley was unresponsive on arrival; and about 15 minutes later the child was pronounced dead by doctors at St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital. The doctors, however, were not clear on exactly what had caused the death of the child.
After running an autopsy, doctors were shocked to learn that Paisley had suffered a fractured skull, internal bleeding and bruises almost beyond counting, which were all signs of physical abuse.
While authorities are still trying to find how Paisley suffered those injuries, police believe that her mother, 25-year-old Kayla, and her boyfriend, Ryan Ramirez, are responsible for Paisley's death. An Anderson Police Department spokesperson stated that the pair was taken into custody on a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Probable cause affidavits obtained by The Herald Bulletin stated the couple had rented a room at the Red Roof Inn in Anderson, though it isn’t clear how long they were residing there.
When the pair was questioned about Paisley's death, they reportedly gave conflicting accounts of what happened the night of Paisley's death.
Kayla and Ramirez agree that while she was at work, her two children — Paisley and her 3-year-old brother — were in Ramirez's care. Kayla worked as a waitress at a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings. But their stories split in recalling what happened after Kayla got off work before midnight.
According to Ramirez, he had driven, with Paisley, to the Buffalo Wild Wings where Kayla worked to pick her up around 11pm. When they returned to the Red Roof Inn where they were staying, he carried Paisley inside the room, changed her diaper and put her in a playpen, according to Daily Mail.
Ramirez then said that he and Kayla watched TV until early morning and that he checked on Paisley at about 3am. Sometime between 5am and 6am, Kayla woke up, checked on Paisley and found her unresponsive and cold.
But Kayla had a different story to tell. She claims said that after getting home from work Friday night she left the hotel to go buy cream and green tea bags to “cover extensive bruising on [her son’s] legs and body.”
Kayla also claims that she went out a second time to buy fast food and cigarettes, before settling in to watch TV. She said she checked on Paisley around 6am and found her still.
"Don’t ignore things that you think are going on," Kayla said. "Don’t believe the words somebody tells you. I believe if that wasn’t the case, my daughter would still be here."
The couple allegedly told detectives that when Paisley was found unresponsive, Kayla attempted to warm her body temperature with a hot bath and performed CPR. When none of these worked, Kayla decided to take her to the hospital.
She states that before taking Paisley to the hospital, Ramirez allegedly said that “they needed to get their stories straight." However, neither of them called 911. Kayla allegedly said that she won't waste time cooking up a cover story as her daughter's life was at stake. “I could’ve opened my eyes a little bit more and quit being so blind about everything,” she said. “I didn’t realize the person I brought into my child’s lives.”
Kayla said she “didn’t realize the severity of it until I lost my daughter and that’s when things starting coming in place. Maybe stuff was going on.” She further added that she would have stopped the abuse if she knew about it. However, a close friend of Kayla said that the warning signs had been there long before Paisley was found dead and the Department of Child Services had previously been called.
The pair remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bond each. Marian Dunnichay, the county medical examiner, said that she had "never seen injuries like this on an infant before." She further added that it took her two hours to count the bruises on Paisley's body. Paisley's two liver lacerations led to internal bleeding and are often seen in victims of a car crash and not on a toddler. She further added that the injuries “shocking” and “unbelievable.” "This little girl was a fighter,” she said. “But I guess she’s in a better place now.”