Sarasota, Fla. (970 WFLA)- Detectives with the Sarasota Police Department have arrested a man and a woman on charges of neglect of a child with great bodily harm after their 3-week old daughter sustained a severe head injury in mid-July.
The baby’s mother, 18 year old Paige Lubaski, told Sarasota Police Detectives that on July 14, she took her daughter to Sarasota Memorial Hospital because she was sick. During the investigation, Lubaski told Detectives multiple stories including her daughter falling out of her car carrier on the way out of the house and hitting her head. When Lubaski arrived at the hospital, she never told doctors about the fall.
Hospital staff called Sarasota Police and Department of Children and Families because of the unexplainable head injuries. Lubaski said her daughter hit her head on a dresser. DCF conducted an exam and found no foul play.
On July 18, a follow-up visit with the baby’s pediatrician found swelling and fluid on the baby’s head. During a scan at SMH, it was determined the baby had a skull fracture with a small brain bleed. The baby was transferred from SMH to All Children’s Hospital because of the seriousness of the injury.
On July 20, a Child Protection Team at All Children’s Hospital determined the baby’s injuries were caused by blunt force trauma. The team was unable to determine exactly what caused the injury but believed it could be several days old.
Lubaski has been charged with Neglect of a Child with Great Bodily Harm. She has bonded out of the Sarasota County Jail. The baby’s father, Edgar Estrada, 23, has been charged with Neglect of a Child with Great Bodily Harm for knowing about the baby’s injuries but not calling law enforcement. He remains in the Sarasota County Jail.
As of this morning, the baby is still at All Children’s Hospital but is expected to survive.
Photo and story credit: Sarasota Police Department