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Brutal child abuse allegations said to have taken place over a four-day period have landed a Houston couple behind bars.
The five-month-old victim was allegedly brain-dead when she was hospitalised on September 29.
The child ultimately succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday, according to investigators.
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Glenn Wayne Smith and Jasmine Ellison were arrested for injury to a child and serious bodily injury.
The couple has no criminal history or past run-ins with child protective services, according to law enforcement.
What investigators find so disturbing about the allegations is that even if the injuries were inflicted accidentally, the couple is accused of watching the infant get worse and worse and waiting to bring her to the hospital.
The infant’s mother, Ellison, appeared in court for the part she allegedly played in the heart-sinking death of her baby girl, Ja’nae Smith.
“The abuse is said to have taken place over a four-day period, or the most recent abuse, in which the child was in the care of both this defendant and the child’s father,” prosecutors said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office described Ja’nae’s final days as a “horrific weekend that began on September 26”.
During that time, it is alleged that Ja’nae’s father, identified in court records as Smith, was abusing the child, and Ellison failed to take action.
It all allegedly took place inside their north Harris County home on Plumwood Drive.
Investigators say Ja’nae was partially paralysed and throwing up blood, yet Ellison and Smith waited until September 29 to call 911.
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“The child was found with multiple serious injuries including swelling and bleeding of the brain, no brain activity at the time of admission, blood coming out of her mouth, broken ribs, healed broken ribs,” prosecutors read in court.
The child was assessed at the Texas Medical Center, where she ultimately died from her injuries.
“Medical staff said the injuries were likely caused by aggressively shaking the child,” prosecutors said.
Ellison and Smith were questioned by detectives.
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“Both ended up giving statements to police that were inconsistent with the injuries,” investigators said.
The attorney who represented Ellison in probable cause court claims the 23-year-old mum sought medical care for her daughter but didn’t specify when.
“And was told to bring her in if the child got worse, and it appears the child declined while my client was at work,” the attorney representing Ellison in probable cause court said.
Eyewitness News spoke briefly with Ja’nae’s grandmother, who investigators say often visited the couple’s home, but she declined to comment.
Smith was initially being held on a $1 million bond, but it was later reduced to $250,000. Ellison’s was set at $150,000.
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