Toy Lewis, grieves the loss of her infant daughter Kalijah Arlboro to injuries consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome.

In Michigan, Toy Lewis is the mother of deceased baby Kalijah Arlboro. Kalijah was allegedly killed by her father’s girlfriend, LaTonya Goodlow of Romulus. Ms. Goodlow has been ordered to face charges of first-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kalijah. Kalijah died at C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. Investigators say that Goodlow provided conflicting accounts of what actually transpired while baby Kalijah was in her care. Jeffrey Jentzen, the medical examiner that conducted the autopsy says the baby died from a brain hemorrhage and severe trauma consistent with non-accidental shaking and blunt force trauma.  

Different forms of child abuse may happen, but one common form of child abuse found in infants is Shaken Baby Syndrome. Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is an injurious condition caused by the shaking of an infant or child.  The action of rapidly shaking an infant or child causes the sudden forward, backward and sideway motion of the head. During the shaking action the brain is injured from hitting against the inside of the bony skull, causing inflammation, bleeding, separation of vessels and nerve fibers in the soft brain tissue on all sides of the brain. The brain of an infant or child is very soft because it has more water content and it is easier to injure than an adult brain. Therefore, less energy is required to cause lethal injury to an infant or child’s brain.  In SBS, the eyes may get injured by the sudden increase in pressure and motion around the soft tissues that make up the delicate structure of the eyes. After the shaking, the brain and the eyes bleed inside the confined spaces they are contained in.  This bleeding causes high pressure to build within the head and eyes. The damage caused by shaking the head, brain and eye structures and the increasing high pressure that follows causes permanent injury or death for the infant or child. If death does not occur the infant or child may be left with permanent brain damage, blindness, neuromuscular disability, paralysis, deafness, learning disabilities and/or a seizure disorder. According to the CDC, 1,490 children died from abuse and neglect in the Unites States for the year 2004. This number decreased in 2005 to 1,460 deaths. Greater than 75% of these deaths occurred in children under four years of age. A total of 872,000 children were reportedly abused in that same time frame. In 2005, child protective services investigated 3.6 million cases of reported child abuse complaints, which resulted in discovery of 899,000 cases of child abuse. Girls are at a higher risk to be victims of maltreatment than boys.   

If your loved one has been injured or killed as a result of child abuse, contact the Keane Law Firm, we can help you.