A Virginia woman was indicted on Thursday on child abuse charges in connection with mysterious injuries to newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital where she worked as a nurse, authorities said.
The woman, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, of Chesterfield County, Virginia, was charged with felony aggravated assault and child abuse, according to court records and the Henrico County Sheriff's Office.
The arrests came after police began investigating three infants who were found with “unexplained fractures” in the neonatal unit at Henrico Doctors Hospital in Richmond in late November and December. The hospital made the announcement in a statement Friday. The hospital said it provided the footage to help authorities with their investigation.
If convicted, Strotman faces up to 10 years in prison for the felony child abandonment charge and up to 20 years in prison for the aggravated assault charge, Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said in a statement. Ta.
Strotman is being held without bail at Henrico County Western Jail. Her attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.
In a statement, the hospital identified Strotman as a former employee, but did not say when Strotman started working there. She received her nursing license in May 2019 and her license is valid, according to the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Taylor said three infants were recently found with broken bones, but Strotman was only charged in connection with the injuries to one victim.
Taylor said the abuse occurred before Nov. 11, 2024, and is similar to a 2023 incident in which four infants were found with mysterious injuries at the same hospital.
Although Taylor said Strotman's arrest was only in connection with this single incident, the Henrico County Sheriff's Office said, “Detectives are investigating incidents from 2023 and 2024 as part of this broader investigation.'' We are re-investigating the matter.”
Henrico County Sheriff's Office and Taylor did not provide details about the infant's injuries.
Taylor said in a statement that her “thoughts go out to the families” of the injured “who suffered in a facility designed to provide comfort and care.”
The hospital, which says it delivers about 4,500 babies a year, said it had stopped accepting new patients to its neonatal intensive care unit, without providing details on when the unit would reopen to new patients. Ta.
“We are assisting law enforcement with their ongoing investigation and will continue to do so,” the hospital said. He added that he was “shocked and saddened by the progress of the investigation.”
