Following a series of "unexplainable fractures" suffered by multiple babies at Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Virginia, Henrico County Police arrested a primary suspect in relation to the incident. Former Henrico Doctors' nurse Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, now faces wounding and child abuse charges, with police broadening their investigation.
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A news release issued by Henrico Doctors' Hospital on December 24, 2024, stated that the injuries suffered by the three babies in late November and early December were similar to previous injuries suffered by other babies in 2023.
Henrico County Police then shared a news release with PEOPLE, confirming Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman's arrest. "Ms. Strotman faces charges of malicious wounding and felony child abuse in connection to an incident that occurred in November 2024," reads the release.
Seemingly aligning with the hospital's news release, police are currently "reviewing dozens of videos inside the NICU." This refers to the previously mentioned investigation "broadening," meaning that detectives are currently reviewing footage from 2023 to find a potential connection.
A related case involves baby Noah Hackey, who suffered a fractured tibia in September 2023. In a letter received by Noah's parents, the hospital determined that one of their employees had physically abused Noah at the hospital's NICU.
"We appreciate the families' and public's patience as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence in connection to these cases," Eric D. English, Henrico Chief of Police, said in the news release.
Further Investigations
HCA Virginia then confirmed to PEOPLE that Erin Strotman was a former employee at Henrico Doctors' Hospital.
"We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and providing support to our colleagues who have been deeply and personally impacted by this investigation," reads the statement.
HCA Virginia has since initiated an investigation and has notified both the families of the affected babies as well as the "authorities and regulatory agencies," working alongside them on their respective investigations.
"While fractures occasionally happen with pre-term babies since they lack full fetal bone development, we are actively working to determine how these fractures occurred," the statement continued. "The safety of our NICU babies is our highest priority and we are actively working to pursue additional precautions to prevent any future incidents."
According to Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman remains at the Henrico County Jail. A court ordered her to have no contact with any child under the age of 18 and her next court appearance is scheduled for March 24, 2025.
