INDIANAPOLIS, IN (WISH/CNN) - Inside Riley Hospital for Children is where doctors knew something was wrong with a 2-month-old baby girl placed in foster care.
Doctors took X-rays and saw she had 35 broken bones and other injuries to her hands, legs, feet, upper, and lower back.
According to court documents, her foster parent, Kyle Rice, eventually told investigators he caused those injuries.
”It's certainly very tragic. Children 5 and under are at the greatest risk of child abuse and neglect,” said Sharon Pierce, who runs the Villages of Indiana, a nonprofit that provides child and family services.
“I think for those of us who work in the child welfare system, what can we learn to prevent this from ever happening again,” she continued.
According to court documents, Rice told investigators he was home with the baby one day and she was fussy.
"He tried to give her a bottle, but she was spitting it out," Pierce explained. "He then changed her diaper and she pooped while he was changing it. He held her, but she continued to cry and wouldn't calm down."
He admitted to investigators he squeezed her really hard, bent her legs backwards, grabbed her hands and feet and squeezed them in his hands.
He told investigators he was frustrated.
“Being a parent is the most difficult job but that doesn't excuse maltreating a child and that's what happened here,” Pierce said.
Rice's wife told investigators she had no idea about the injuries. She says she works full time while her husband stays home with the kids.
They have been foster parents for some time and even adopted three children.
Meanwhile, Rice's trial is now scheduled for April.
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