An 18-year-old Port Richey mother allegedly held her 7-week-old baby boy under running hot water because he wouldn’t stop crying.
The infant is now in critical condition with severe second-degree burns.
Pasco County Sheriff’s detectives said Chekayla Ariel Dampier, admitted to noticing some of the baby’s skin bubbling and peeling it off when she took him out of the tub.
Detectives said Dampier walked into the North Bay Hospital Emergency Room on Monday night with her baby boy, Emilio Bautista and that he was burned so badly, he was flown to Tampa General Hospital.
Detectives said Dampier first blamed others for the boy’s injuries, before admitting to the holding the boy under the hot water.
Dampier was arrested Tuesday night, following an investigation and is charged with aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Dampier had no history of abuse prior to her arrest.
