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Left to right: Shona Hochsprung and Alexander Ransom (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida couple are behind bars after an infant “in their care” had to undergo emergency surgery to repair a damaged skull and bleeding brain, authorities in the Sunshine State say.
Shona M. Hochsprung, 22, and Alexander M. Ransom, 24, stand accused of one count each of child neglect with great bodily harm, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
Both defendants were arrested on Tuesday following a short investigation into the infant’s severe injuries — as well as what law enforcement described as the couple’s unsatisfactory explanations.
The child recently made it out of a surgery considered a success and is expected to live — but with diminished capacity. Authorities say the unidentified child victim is facing a long recovery process and is likely to suffer “significant medical issues” for the duration of their life.
On March 24, the baby was admitted to the Golisano’s Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers — a large city on the state’s western seaboard.
That day, detectives were called by the hospital’s employees over the child’s “life-threatening injuries,” according to the sheriff’s office.
“The injuries included multiple skull fractures, bleeding in the brain, a stroke, and more,” the sheriff’s office alleged in a press release. “Staff advised that the infant was in ‘extremely critical condition’ and was in emergency surgery when detectives arrived.”
Later, both defendants were taken aside by investigators and questioned separately about the injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
That relatively common investigative tactic apparently paid off.
“During questioning, both had different explanations about how the infant sustained the injuries and their stories were inconsistent,” the press release goes on. “One explanation provided by Hochsprung was that she had rolled over onto the baby while asleep, but had immediately woken up and rolled off once the child cried. Hospital staff advised that was not a viable explanation for the injuries.”
But the pair allegedly were able to reach narrative cohesion on one point investigators then seized upon: both Hochsprung and Ransom were the only other people at home when the child’s injuries occurred on March 23, at their residence in Port Charlotte — a large, census-designated place located roughly 30 miles northwest of Fort Myers.
Subsequent investigative efforts turned up internet searches authorities believed incriminating enough to document and share.
Ransom allegedly looked up the phrases “do babies snore?” and “dent in baby forehead,” at around 5 p.m. on the day before the child was taken to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said. Those searches indicate the man was aware of the child’s injuries for several hours before finally seeking treatment, according to law enforcement.
“As a father, I know there is nothing so precious as the life of a child. I ask you to join me in prayer, as this infant fights for survival, that God grants a better life going forward,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. “The individuals who were supposed to be caring for this child have many questions still to answer, and they will be held accountable. In the meantime, my heart is with that child and all who are impacted.”
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Both defendants are currently being detained without bond, jail records show.