Michigan Nurse Accused of Abusing Premature Baby Days Before She Was Going Home

We’ve all heard heartbreaking stories of child abuse, but this one feels like a whole other level.

This little girl was born at just 23 weeks, weighing barely a pound. She spent months fighting for her life at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids and was finally getting ready to go home.

Then, just two days before she was supposed to go home, her family found bruises on her body and saw that her tongue had turned blue and black. Doctors also found broken bones.

Broken bones. In a four-month-old baby. Let that sink in.

What Happened to the Baby at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital?

According to WOOD-TV’s report, the baby’s mom came back to the hospital around 6:30 one morning in April. Court records say nurse Kieran Ansley hurried over to meet her before she reached her daughter’s room and told her the baby had slept through the night.

But when she saw her daughter, her tongue was blue and nearly black. There were bruises that hadn’t been there the night before. Ansley allegedly told her the tongue discoloration wasn’t a big deal.

It was a big deal. Doctors found bruises on the baby’s hands, arms, stomach, thigh, and buttocks. A full skeletal exam also found multiple fractures, including broken leg bones.

A log shows someone entered the baby’s room 32 times that night. According to court records, Ansley accounted for 27 of those visits. That doesn’t tell us what happened during any one visit, but it’s a detail investigators are looking at.

Michigan Nurse Charged With Child Abuse at Grand Rapids Hospital

Ansley has since been fired and charged with four counts of child abuse. His attorney says he’s cooperating with the investigation. The charges have not been proven in court.

The good news is that the baby is home now. Her grandfather says she’s doing wonderful.