'Unfathomable': Polk County man arrested after 3-month-old baby sustains brain, spinal cord injuries

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - An Eagle Lake man is accused of critically injuring a three-month-old baby who is currently in critical condition, deputies say. 

What we know:

The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested Zachary Ingram, 24, after medical tests showed the baby had a brain bleed and hemorrhaging. 

Ingram is facing charges of aggravated child abuse – a first degree felony – for causing the critical injuries of the child, the sheriff's office said. 

Zachary Ingram is facing charges of aggravated child abuse – a first degree felony – for causing the critical injuries of the child, the sheriff's office said. 

The Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence in Eagle Lake on Nov. 26 regarding an unresponsive baby boy. 

Ingram had told deputies he left the baby in a swing for 10 to 15 minutes unsupervised while he went to the bathroom. Ingram found the baby pale and unresponsive. Ingram performed CPR on the baby until first responders arrived. 

Detectives later confirmed that Ingram was the only adult in the home with the baby at that time. He was taken into custody on Dec. 8. 

How was the baby injured? 

Medical tests showed the baby suffered a brain bleed and slight bruising to his lower abdominal area, the sheriff's office said. An additional CT scan confirmed the child had a brain bleed and hemorrhaging. 

He remains in critical but stable condition, the sheriff's office said. 

An affidavit provided by the sheriff's office said the child sustained injuries including: brain bleed hemorrhaging, innumerable retinal hemorrhaging, linear bruising on the buttocks, vertical bruising near the anus, partial linear bruising in the lower abdomen, bleeding in the spinal cord, a spinal cord edema ligament injury. The child was also experiencing seizures, which he received medication for. 

During interviews with Ingram and the baby's mother, deputies said they made statements saying a two-year-old in the home hit the baby in the head with a rattle, and that the baby's mother tripped and fell while holding the baby, and he possibly hit his head at that time.

The affidavit said a medical evaluation report stated, "The victim's injuries are inconsistent with the histories of 2-year-old hitting with a rattle and a single fall with mother as there are injuries to multiple body areas including the spine and bruises to abdomen/buttocks."

In later interviews, Ingram told detectives he shook the baby while holding him both horizontally and vertically, deputies said. He said he possibly shook the baby harder than he thought, the sheriff's office said. 

"The victim's injuries are consistent with a child being violently shaken," the affidavit said. A registered nurse also said the injuries were a clear indication of child abuse, the affidavit said. 

"The abuse that this baby suffered at the hands of his caregiver is simply unfathomable," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a released statement. "We pray that this baby is able to recover from his significant injuries, and that the suspect is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."