An Elizabethville woman is facing felony child abuse charges after a 1-year-old boy was brought to a local hospital in September with potentially life threatening injuries, police said.
Mackenzie Gordy, 20, was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to police reports, the boy was brought to Penn State Hershey Medical Center with fever-like symptoms on Sept. 21. Doctors discovered the child was suffering from a serious and potentially life threatening intra-abdominal tear. He also had several rib fractures, some of which had already started to heal.
The boy had previous traumatic injuries, including facial and scrotal bruising, state police said. The child also had an enlarged stomach due to a perforated bowel and was septic.
State police say the boys injuries indicate he had been abused on numerous occasions and that Gordy failed to seek proper medical attention for him.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8.