Mom Charged with Child Neglect After Baby Found Unresponsive in Filthy Home

Baby Found Unresponsive and Injured

• 👶 A 3-month-old baby girl was found unresponsive and covered in bruises in her mother Kelly Ward's home on November 8, 2023.
• 🏥 The baby was rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined her injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, resulting in permanent brain damage and likely lifelong disabilities.
• ⚠️ The child now requires a feeding tube and may be unable to see, walk, or talk.

Deplorable Living Conditions

• 🕷️ Officers described the home as having horrible and unsanitary conditions, with spiders, cobwebs, and roaches.
• 🐀 The baby's mother, Kelly Ward, initially claimed a dog jumped on the baby, while her boyfriend suggested rats might have bitten the child.
• 🧐 Investigators ruled out both the dog and rat explanations, concluding the injuries were not natural.

Legal Proceedings and Charges

• ⚖️ Nearly two years after the incident, Kelly Ward was charged with neglect of a child causing great bodily harm.
• 💰 She was released on a $5,000 cash bond and is scheduled for arraignment on August 28, 2025.
• ❓ It remains unclear if Kelly's boyfriend, who was also present, will face charges, as he is not the child's biological father and may not have had a legal duty of care.

Expert Analysis on Causation and Neglect

• 🧠 Criminal defense attorney Florina Alt Schiller explained that establishing causation for negligence charges can be complex, especially when intentional acts cannot be proven.
• 👨‍⚖️ The boyfriend likely doesn't have a duty of care for negligence charges unless he was the sole caretaker of the child at the time of the injuries.
• 🔬 Prosecuting shaken baby syndrome cases is challenging due to disagreements among experts and the difficulty in definitively proving causation, especially when the child cannot testify.

Court System and Parental Rights

• 🏠 The criminal court determines guilt and incarceration, while the family court system addresses parental rights and child custody.
• 🚫 A criminal conviction could lead to an order of protection preventing contact with the child, impacting family court decisions on parental rights and visitation.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 If Ward is convicted, the child would likely be placed with a relative, and her parental rights could be limited or terminated by the family court.