Background: The U.S. District Federal Courthouse in Tulsa, Okla. (Google Maps). Insets, left to right: Jeannie Romero, Jacob Romero (Sapulpa Police Department).
An Oklahoma couple found guilty of child abuse and neglect after their 3-week-old baby’s femur was broken during a diaper change were both sentenced to years in prison.
Jeannie Romero, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill to five years in prison for child abuse and child neglect in Indian Country, according to a press release from the U.S. Justice Department. According to the DOJ, the investigation into the Jeannie Romero and her husband, Jacob Romero, 24, began in October 2022, when they brought their 3-week-old newborn baby to the hospital. During the investigation, Jeannie Romero admitted to using “unreasonable force” while changing her baby’s diaper, which resulted in “breaking the baby’s femur in half,” according to the Justice Department.
But Jeannie Romero didn’t seek medical attention for her baby for “48 hours,” the release stated. It also stated that although Jacob Romero was not present when the injury happened, it was noticeable when he arrived home, and he “failed to seek help” for the infant.
When the couple finally brought the baby in for medical attention, a doctor noticed “additional injuries consistent with abuse.” The baby and an additional sibling were removed from the Romeros’ custody and placed in the care of family members. The release noted that Jeannie Romero and the newborn belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) tribe, which prompted the FBI to become involved after an initial investigation by the Sapulpa Police Department.
Jacob Romero was previously found guilty of child neglect in Indian Country and was sentenced in June 2024 to two years in prison plus five years of supervised release. Jeannie Romero, who is currently in custody, is expected to be transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to serve her sentence.
