A Pittsburgh man was arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated assault a day after his 4-month-old child was hospitalized in grave condition, according to court papers.
Seth F. Williams, 28, of Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, was arrested Wednesday and charged with five felony counts of aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of children.
Pittsburgh police were dispatched to West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday for a 4-month-old with multiple traumatic head injuries, according to court papers. The child was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in grave condition.
The child has four skull fractures that appear to have come from three or more blows to the head, a Child Advocacy Center doctor told police. CT scans revealed areas of dead brain tissue, brain damage and herniation of the brain down into the spinal cord. There is external bruising on the child’s right eye and scalp and fractures to both shoulders.
According to Williams’ arrest papers:
The child’s mother, told police she got a call from Williams while she was at work Monday. She and Williams have three children — the 4-month-old and 4-year-old twins. Williams told her during the phone call that one of the twins knocked over the bassinet where the 4-month-old was sleeping.
The children’s mother told police she came home to find the house in disarray. Her 4-month-old baby had bruises on their head.
The children’s grandmother told police she received a call from her daughter regarding the bruises. She told her daughter to put ice on the wounds. The mother told police she went to Target to get medicine, Band-Aids and ice packs to treat the baby.
Williams’ father told police that Williams called him to say the children had been acting up and Williams wanted his father to take them to his house.
Williams’ father came to find broken glass on the floor of Williams’ apartment Monday and that an interior door had been pulled off its hinges.
According to police, Williams’ father spoke to the twins, one of whom told him that Williams had punched them in the head and threw the other across the room. He took the twins back to his house and left the sleeping 4-month-old at Williams’ apartment.
The children’s mother awakened Tuesday morning to find the 4-month-old’s lips blue and eyes rolling back into their head. She carried the child to West Penn Hospital. Police said the child stopped breathing and was unresponsive en route.
One of the twins was interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center. Police said the twin, who had an injury on their right eye, told investigators Williams caused the injury and threw the 4-month-old onto the floor.
A Child Advocacy Center doctor told police the baby’s severe injuries could not have come from a fallen bassinet.
After obtaining a search warrant for Williams’ home, police found Williams hiding in the basement. He was arrested and taken to Allegheny County Jail where he remains after being denied bail.
The mother has not been charged. Williams’ arrest papers did not indicate the children’s gender or genders.
A preliminary hearing for Williams is scheduled for Sept. 18.