PAlM BAY, Fla. – A pregnant woman is accused of burning a girl’s privates, buttocks and lower back with hot water as a form of punishment, according to Palm Bay police.
Officers arrested Angelina Mayton, 23, on Thursday.
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The investigation began on Dec. 27 when Mayton brought the victim to the hospital with third-degree burns, according to police. When questioned about the burns, the woman claimed that she had left the child alone in the tub for a moment and that the girl must have turned the hot water on by accident, records show.
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The woman claimed that when she returned to the bathroom, the girl had pulled herself out of the water and was crying that the water was hot, according to police.
On Wednesday, investigators said the doctor who had been treating the victim informed them that, in addition to the burns, the girl had a fractured wrist which was approximately two weeks old. The doctor said the girl also had bruises and scratches as well, according to the affidavit for an arrest warrant.
The doctor also told detectives that the girl’s burns were consistent with an intentional act, citing that the burns were in a unified pattern as though her back, buttocks and privates had been dipped into the water, investigators said. The doctor also noted, according to detectives, that there were no burns on the girls feet or arms, meaning that they were not submerged in the water and that there were no splash marks, which would have indicated that the child had been in the tub and tried to escape when the water became too hot as Mayton had suggested.
According to police, the doctor also believed that the burns would not be as severe had the girl been hurt accidentally, adding that the water had to be at least 150 degrees to cause as much damage as it did.
During the course of the investigation, detectives said they questioned Mayton’s two boys. Both said that on the day of the girl’s injuries that she had defecated in the living room of their home and that girl was punished for it, records show.
According to the affidavit, the girl’s injuries are so severe that they could cause lifelong disfigurement and that she would have to undergo numerous painful procedures as a result of them.
Mayton faces a charge of aggravated child abuse with serious bodily injury. She has bonded out of jail since her arrest.