A Colorado toddler is fighting for her life after she was beaten by a drunken babysitter her mother once considered a trusted friend.
Giovanni Reichert, 2, had to have part of his skull removed as well as several other life-saving surgeries over the past few months, after his mother left him in the care of his friend McKinley Slone Hernandez, 25, on September 1. .
It remains unclear what happened to the boy that fateful night, as his mother, Stephanie, said Hernandez “wouldn’t admit to anything.”
“All he said was that he was drinking, and he was injured in his care,” Stephanie told KDVR.
“I make scenarios in my head all the time for the injuries he has, so I wish I knew.”
She said she received a text message from Hernandez just hours after leaving Giovanni in her care “saying I need to rush to St. Anthony’s Hospital because my son was passed out after a shower.”
“As soon as I saw him and all 50 doctors standing around him, I had to leave the room because it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Giovanni Reichert, 2, had to have part of his skull removed and was placed in a coma after being beaten on Sept. 1. FOX31 KDVR
Giovanni was sent to the hospital and required emergency surgery for a brain bleed – surgery that required doctors to remove part of his skull, according to 9 News.
He was intubated and placed in an induced coma, and had to undergo several more surgeries in the months since.
Hernandez regularly watched Giovanni with others at an unlicensed child care facility at her home in Lakewood, news station KDVR reported.
Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of child abuse – cruelty to a child charge, and is being held on $100,000 bond.
It is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
McKinley Slone Hernandez, 25, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse – cruelty to a child charge, and is being held on $100,000 bond. Lakewood Police Department / X Giovanni was sent to the hospital and required emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage — surgery that required doctors to remove part of his skull. He was intubated and placed in an induced coma, and had to undergo several more surgeries in the months since.
But Stephanie says the charge is not enough.
“I feel very relieved, but I also feel he should be charged with more,” he told KDVR.
“I think it’s attempted murder – he almost killed my son.”
“You never think it will happen to you, especially by someone you consider a friend,” he added.
Giovanni was previously described as a “happy, healthy, energetic 2-year-old.” Gofundme
Giovanni, previously described on the GoFundMe as a “happy, healthy, energetic 2-year-old,” underwent another surgery Thursday and continues to have a fever and pain.
“We had a rough Thanksgiving this year to say the least,” Stephanie wrote in an online fundraiser on Friday.
“He is quite swollen and his right eye is swollen,” he said of his son. “He slept most of the day and I hope for a better day tomorrow.”
His mother worries that spending months in the hospital could take a toll on him emotionally.Gofundme
But he said he was also concerned that spending several months in hospital could take its toll on his young soul.
“He doesn’t like strangers,” he told 9 News. “Now, he doesn’t like nurses and doctors. He did not allow anyone to touch him.
“We have to do everything for them there,” she said of her and her husband, Anthony.
Stephanie Reichert, Giovanni’s mother, said she believes her ex-accused friend should be charged with attempted murder. FOX31 KDVR
The community, however, has come together to support the boy – raising more than $23,000 for his treatment.
“Giovanni, you are so resilient and so strong, keep fighting baby boy,” the online fundraiser said.
“We love you so much.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
