SueAnn Carter and Codi Allen: Ohio parents arrested after newborn twins found with 'multiple broken bones' and 'rib fractures'
PORTSMOUTH, OHIO: Two Ohio parents were arrested after the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office determined that the fractured bones and injuries in their newborn twins were the result of abuse. SueAnn Carter, 27, and Codi Alexander Ronald Allen, 20, were taken into custody following a social worker's report to authorities that two infants, both under five weeks old, had been brought to the Nationwide Children's Hospital with strange wounds.
The children were originally taken to Southern Ohio Medical Center due to concerns about possible arm fractures and eye bleeding. The infants were taken to the children's hospital because of the apparent severity of their wounds, where it was discovered that they had fractured bones in their arms, legs, and ribs, as well as bruising all over their bodies, faces and blood hemorrhages in their eyes.
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What happened to the infants?
The Scioto County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that reads, "Detectives learned of multiple non-accidental injuries to both babies. These injuries include eye hemorrhages, multiple broken bones in their legs and arms, multiple rib fractures, abrasions to the face to include a black eye and bruising. As a result of these injuries Scioto County Children Services were notified and responded to Children’s Hospital and removed custody from the parents."
What are the charges against the couple?
The children were taken from their parents' care by child services after hospital staff thought the injuries weren't accidental and contacted the police, as reported by Daily Mail. After speaking with family members, officers eventually took Carter and Allen into custody. The two are accused of felonious assault and endangering their children. They appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court on February 23, 2023, and are being detained on a $340,000 bond.
There were 8,890 abuse cases in 2021
Over 30,000 children in Ohio are engaged in substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect each year, according to the Ohio Family Violence Prevention Project. Only 38% of victims of child sexual assault actually report their crimes, and many of them never do. According to Ohio's Children's Advocacy Centers, there were 8,890 abuse cases in 2021, 6,717 of which involved sexual abuse of minors between the ages of 0 and 18. In 2020, the most recent year for which data on child abuse was accessible, 52 girls in Ohio under the age of 14 had abortions, according to the state department of health. Despite Ohio's devoted funding of $1.2 billion for student wellbeing, there is a reported rise in the number of minors seeking help for depression, anxiety, and suicide, which is burdensome for the state because of a shortage of therapists, as per LLCBuddy.