Background: The South Central Regional Jail in South Charleston, W.Va., on May 15, 2012 (AP Photo/The Charleston Daily Mail, Tom Hindman). Inset: Bella Carpenter (West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation).
Authorities contend that a toddler was placed in the care of a woman in West Virginia and, within days, suffered injuries that included a disconnected shoulder blade, a black eye, and more.
Bella Carpenter, 20, is in the Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility on a $100,000 cash-only bond, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
She has been charged with child neglect causing serious bodily injury, regional NBC affiliate WBOY reported.
On July 6, the Webster County Prosecuting Attorney's Office contacted troopers with the West Virginia State Police to help with a case concerning child protective services. Webster County is a small region in the center of the state, home to about 7,700 people.
The toddler — whose exact age, sex, and relationship to Carpenter are unclear — had a black eye, "large bruising" on their forehead, a spot on the left side of the head where "hair had been pulled out," and other injuries. According to a criminal complaint obtained by the area outlet, the toddler was brought to a hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 8 because of their "shoulder blade having been disconnected" from the body.
Troopers reportedly learned that the child was in Carpenter's care from July 2 to July 5, and one witness said that immediately before Carpenter took over the child's care, the toddler did not have "any of those injuries." This witness apparently had photos to back up that claim.
The child was placed in the care of a family member and child protective services. Medical personnel at the Charleston Area Medical Center Women's and Children's Hospital, where the victim was treated before being relocated to Ohio, told investigators that "the bruising and injuries were only consistent with physical abuse," per the court record.
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