A Florida woman and her boyfriend were arrested earlier this month in a child abuse case that began when the woman brought her toddler daughter to the hospital with multiple injuries, including broken bones and bite marks in various stages of healing.
Jordan Moore, 28, is charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm, while Jesse Smith, 29, faces a charge of aggravated child abuse, WEAR reports.
An arrest report says the injuries to the child — whose age was not given — happened bettween November 30, 2024, and January 7, 2025. Moore brought the child to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for treatment on January 8, when hospital staff documented a broken arm, broken ribs, broken legs, extensive old and new bruising to the face, scalp, neck, chest, abdomen, sides, back, buttocks, arms, and legs, and bite and grab marks on the arm.
Additionally, the child was missing two teeth.
The police report says that Moore told police the injuries came during common accidents and falls and that Smith, her boyfriend, wasn’t violent and was rarely alone with the little girl. She also claimed the baby suffers from “Brittle Bone Disease,” but hospital tests came back negative for the genetic condition.
Then, investigators got a look at Moore’s cell phone, finding photos of the child’s multiple injuries since December. The phone records also indicated that Smith frequently watched the baby for long periods of time alone. According to the report, a December 22 text from Moore to Smith accused him of “purposefully” hitting the baby’s “head on the door.”
“All I did was ask why you did taht and then you threw her in the backseat,” the text continued. “You act like you hate my kids and it hurts.”
The report also says that Moore texted a family member about the child’s injuries in December and early January, and the family member said that it appears the baby was abused. The family member first suggested she take the baby to the doctor but later advised not taking “her out in public” over fears the Department of Children and Families would take her.
The report says that Smith denied abusing the child, asying he only ever playfully pinched her nose.
A sibling, however, told investigators that the nose-pinching was not playful, according to Law&Crime. The sibling said that Smith would get “maddy maddy maddy” at the girl for crying and would then use tweezers to pinch her nose and cover her mouth with his hand.
The report did not release further information on the baby’s condition or any information about the status of the other children mentioned in the report.
Moore was given a $75,000 bond and has since been released. Smith is still behind bars on a $300,000 bond. They are due back in court again on March 27.
