A Colorado boy is fighting for his life after being beaten by a drunk babysitter his mother once considered a trusted friend.
Giovanni Reichert, 2, had to have part of his skull removed, as well as several other life-saving operations in recent months, after his mother left him in the care of his friend McKinley Slone Hernandez, 25 , On September 1. .
It’s still unclear what happened to the young man that fateful night, as his mother, Stephanie, said Hernandez “doesn’t admit anything.”
“All she said is that she was drinking and that he was injured while in her care,” Stephanie told KDVR.
“I make up scenarios in my head all the time about the injuries he suffered, so I wish I knew.”
She said she received a text message from Hernandez just hours after leaving Giovanni in her care “saying I had to rush to St. Anthony Hospital because my son was dead after the bath.”
“Once I saw him and the 50 doctors around him, I had to leave the room because it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Two-year-old Giovanni Reichert had to have part of his skull removed and was left in a coma after being beaten on September 1. FOX31 KDVR
Giovanni was flown to the hospital and needed emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage, a surgery that required doctors to remove part of his skull, according to 9 News.
He was intubated and placed in an induced coma, and had to undergo several more operations in the following months.
Hernandez regularly observed Giovanni along with others at an unlicensed child care center at his home in Lakewood, news station KDVR reported.
Hernandez has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse – cruelty to a child charges, and is being held on $100,000 bail.
It is unclear whether he has hired a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
McKinley Slone Hernandez, 25, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse (cruelty to a child charges) and is being held on .000 bond. Lakewood Police Department / He was intubated and placed in an induced coma, and had to undergo several more operations in the months that followed.
But Stephanie says charges aren’t enough.
“I feel very relieved, but I also feel like she should be charged more,” she told KDVR.
“I feel like it was an attempted murder – it almost killed my son.”
“You never think this would happen to you, especially someone you consider a friend,” he added.
Giovanni was previously described as a “happy, healthy and energetic 2-year-old.” gofundme
Giovanni, who was previously described on GoFundMe as a “happy, healthy and energetic 2-year-old,” underwent another surgery Thursday and continues to suffer from fever and pain.
“This year we had a difficult Thanksgiving, to say the least,” Stephanie wrote in Friday’s online fundraiser.
“He’s pretty swollen and his right eye is swollen shut,” she said of her son. “He slept most of the day and I hope he has a better day tomorrow.”
His mother fears that spending months in a hospital could take an emotional toll on him. gofundme
But he said he also fears that spending months in a hospital could take a toll on his young psyche.
“He doesn’t like strangers,” she told 9 News. “Now he doesn’t like nurses or doctors. He doesn’t let anyone touch him.
“We have to do everything we can for them there,” she said of herself and her husband, Anthony.
Stephanie Reichert, Giovanni’s mother, said she believes her former friend should be charged with attempted murder. FOX31 KDVR
However, the community has come together to support the young man, raising more than $23,000 for his treatment.
“Giovanni, you are so resilient and so strong, keep fighting, kid,” the online fundraiser reads.
“We love you so much.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn