At only 13 weeks, little Hailey Gomez has suffered more than most adults – allegedly at the hands of her own father.
Juan Gomez, 23, is charged with first- and second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly assaulted his daughter while babysitting her. The child’s mother was at work at the time.
According to the district attorney, in January, Gomez, of Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, was alone with Hailey and became frustrated because she would not stop crying. He allegedly bit her on the right leg, leaving a bite mark. To conceal what he had done, Gomez allegedly bathed the baby for the following week so no one would see the mark.
It is alleged that in statements made to police and prosecutors, Gomez said that he would grab his daughter by the feet and ankles and push her legs back until they were bent back onto her chest. He said that he head-butted the baby and that his piercings caused bruising to her head; and that he would throw his daughter up in the air – about a foot – and catch her by placing his hands over her rib cage.
“The extent of the physical injuries that this innocent and helpless child suffered in just the first few weeks of her life is beyond comprehension,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “That they were allegedly committed by her father boggles the mind.”
The infant was taken to Schneider Children’s Hospital with bruises to her chest and eye, a healing fracture in her foot, a fractured ankle, a healing fractured to the lower leg, a bite mark to the right leg, 17 fractured ribs (16 of which were healing), a lacerated liver and difficulty breathing due to a disruption to the lining of the lung.
If convicted, Gomez faces up to 15 years in prison.
In 2009, New York City Children’s Services referred 3,242 reports of child neglect, abuse or maltreatment to the district attorney for screening and tracking to determine criminality.
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