A Florida woman has been taken into custody for allegedly neglecting her girlfriend’s young son, leading to severe injuries.

Deniqua Lovett, aged 34, was arrested by the Miramar Police Department on December 28, 2025, on charges of child neglect resulting in significant harm. After her arrest, Lovett was released on bond. According to an arrest warrant obtained by Law&Crime, Lovett was responsible for supervising her girlfriend’s son when the injuries occurred, which were serious enough to require hospitalization in the intensive care unit.

Investigators revealed that Lovett gave her girlfriend multiple accounts of how the child sustained a broken arm, fractured ribs, and numerous bruises.

The incident came to light when medical staff at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, alerted the Miramar Police Department. On September 4, 2025, the child was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit after his mother took him to the emergency room. She reported that he had “swelling to the head and elbow,” claiming it resulted from a playground fall.

Upon examination, medical professionals discovered the boy had a broken elbow and multiple rib fractures at various stages of healing. Additionally, they noted a “traumatic hematoma” on his head and elevated liver enzymes, prompting further medical intervention and assessment.

Police spoke to the boy’s mother, who told them that she first learned of her son’s injuries from Lovett, who had been watching the boy while she was at work. Lovett told her about the boy’s fall off the slide when she picked her up from work the same day. According to the affidavit, Lovett told her girlfriend that the boy “went down the slide differently and fell off” the side of the slide.

According to the affidavit, police reviewed surveillance video of the playground from Sept. 3 and 4, 2025. Police did not see Lovett or the boy on the footage either day; it was also reportedly raining on Sept. 3, 2025.

The rib fractures also allegedly occurred when the boy was in Lovett’s care. Police said Lovett told the boy’s mother that he “fell behind the bed” while playing on it. Lovett told police that the alleged incident on the bed happened in July 2025.

Among the boy’s numerous injuries were burns near his ear. When asked by police about the burns, Lovett said that she “accidentally” burned the boy’s ear while using a “hot comb” on his hair.

An orthopedic surgeon who performed surgery on the boy’s elbow told police that the elbow injury was likely sustained at least two days before the boy was brought to the emergency room. Police said medical staff conducted a skeletal survey on the boy and found several other healed fractures to his collarbone, forearm, and knee. Such injuries, the doctors said, “are consistent with non-accidental trauma.”

Authorities placed the boy in the custody of his mother’s aunt.

Lovett was arrested on Dec. 28, 2025, and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm. At a hearing on Monday, her bond was set at $100,000, which she posted. Her next court date has not been made public.