Four-Month-Old Twins Found With Fractured Skull And Ribs, Man Arrested

A 21-year-old man was arrested after two four-month-old boys were found with grave injuries, including a fractured skull, the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said.

One of the children was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital following the head injury, KSAT reported.

According to SAPD, Javier Leyva was arrested on "a charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury."

The incident came to light after the officers were dispatched Sunday to the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio downtown following a report of an injury to a child. The deputies found a baby with a fractured skull and other serious injuries. The child was recovering in the intensive care unit, police said.

Following this, the child's mother and Leyva were summoned to the SAPD headquarters. According to preliminary reports, Leyva told the officers that he threw the child in the air and did not catch him, causing him to fall on the ground.

Further investigation revealed that the boy's twin had suffered similar injuries, including a broken rib which was in the process of healing from a fracture that might have occurred on an earlier date, police said. The boy was placed with a relative by Child Protective Services.

Though Leyva's relation with the children or their mother is not yet clear, another report says he is the father of the twins.

According to Booking records with the Bexar County Jail, Leyva was booked late Sunday night. His bond is set at $500,000. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

New Orleans had witnessed a similar case in March. A young mother and her boyfriend were put behind bars after the woman's five-month-old son died from a fractured skull, broken ribs, and a shattered leg.

The New Orleans Police Department identified the accused as Lashtonay Powell, 19, and Jacques Miller, 22. The shocking case of abuse was revealed after Miller brought the child to a hospital to be treated for a seizure.

However, doctors noticed the child had unrelated injuries, included a fractured skull, brain swelling, a broken tibia, a broken clavicle, and five broken ribs, after which they called the police.