Mom, Grandma Charged With Burning Toddler With Curling Iron

A mother and grandmother face child abuse charges in Wisconsin after a toddler was brought into the hospital suffering from deep second-degree burns, apparently caused by a curling iron.

April Smith, 50, was charged earlier this month with felony child abuse after an investigation into the injuries on her 17-month-old granddaughter. Smith and her daughter, Ellie Sheehan, brought the toddler to Saint Vincent Hospital in Green Bay on September 12 with “blisters” on the bottom of the baby’s feet, WBAY reported.

Sheehan said she thought the blisters were from tight-fitting boots.

But hospital staff, believing they were seeing “potential nonaccidental trauma,” referred the case to a pediatric critical care physician. the station reported.

After further investigation, police filed abuse and obstruction charges against Sheehan on Tuesday.

The complaint against Sheehan says that she and her mother argued about how the little girl was burned, accusing each other. Smith told authorities that Sheehan once pushed her while she was holding the girl and that her daughter was a drug user.

Sheehan mentioned the curling irons at her mother’s house, and doctors said the tools measurements matched the injuries on the girl. The complaint also said Sheehan’s DNA was found on one of the curling irons.

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