Marisela Hernandez Rios, a 30‑year‑old Kentucky mother, faces accusations of nearly killing her infant daughter by repeatedly shaking the child, resulting in injuries so severe that physicians performed lifesaving surgery.
On Thursday, authorities took Hernandez Rios into custody and charged her with one count of first‑degree assault and one count of first‑degree criminal abuse or neglect of a child.
According to a press release issued by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), the investigation commenced after Child Protective Services alerted LMPD’s Office of Sexual and Physical Investigations to an infant presenting with suspicious injuries at Norton Children’s Hospital.
Police withheld specific details about the victim’s injuries, deeming such information “disturbing and not appropriate to share on social media.” Nonetheless, the hospital report prompted an immediate and thorough response from detectives.
A probable‑cause affidavit obtained by the local ABC affiliate WHAS provided additional insight into the events leading to Hernandez Rios’s arrest.
When the infant arrived at the hospital, she was unresponsive and suffering from a brain bleed.
Asked what had happened, Hernandez Rios offered no explanation for her daughter’s catastrophic injuries.
She told hospital staff that her daughter had been lying on a “Boppy” pillow when she briefly turned away; upon looking back, she allegedly found the infant limp and not breathing.
Doctors subsequently discovered multiple brain bleeds, hemorrhaging in both eyes, bruising on the infant’s hips, and scabbing behind both ears. One nurse described the child as “very dirty.”
Physicians performed lifesaving surgery, citing the “near‑fatal injuries the baby endured during the assault,” as reported by Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT. An MRI confirmed the extent of the injuries.
When questioned by police, Hernandez Rios allegedly admitted that she had repeatedly shaken her daughter in the days preceding the hospitalization. Using a stuffed animal supplied by a CPS worker, she reportedly demonstrated the manner in which she shook the victim.
Hernandez Rios appeared in court on Friday morning for her arraignment. The judge ordered her to remain in detention on a $250,000 bond, and she is scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing on October 2.
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