A former Virginia nurse is facing charges after allegations that she intentionally harmed and abused at least one baby, and possibly more, in her hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Erin Elizabeth Ann Strootman of Chesterfield County was charged with one count of felony child neglect, as well as one count of felony malicious injury for an injury sustained by a newborn at the hospital. Henrico Doctors Hospital In Richmond in November 2024.
While Strootman, 26, has been charged in the only incident so far, attorneys say there is an ongoing local and state investigation regarding more than a half-dozen children who suffered fractures over a period of more than a year.
“Although one person has been arrested for allegedly causing harm to one victim, I would like to stress that this is an ongoing investigation that includes possible crimes committed in 2023 and 2024,” Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor told USA Today.
In a statement shared on Christmas Eve 2024, the hospital said staff discovered three cases in late November and December NICU babies with unexplained fractures“Similar to an incident involving four children in the summer of 2023.”
“We have initiated a comprehensive internal investigation, notified the families, notified the appropriate authorities and regulatory bodies, and worked collaboratively with them in their investigation,” the hospital wrote in the statement, explaining that Strootman no longer works there.
Dominic Haacke, the father of one of the infected children, told CNN that his wife gave birth to premature twins in September 2023, and the babies were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for care.
Seven days after their birth, the leg of one of the twins was found Bruised and broken.
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“I was confused and devastated,” Haacke told the outlet. “I’m a first-time parent. I have no background in the medical field. Are you telling me my child has a fracture? How did it happen? They’ve been checked before, and they would have said something if anything came up (at the time).”
While the incident was reported and investigated at the time, it was ruled an injury during one of his son’s injections and the case was closed, Haacke said.
He told ABC affiliate WRIC that The son’s case has now been reopened.
“We want to make it clear that Noah did not have a bone disease. It was not a coincidence. It was not from birth,” Haake said.Someone did this to our son “We will find out who did this.”
While the hospital was investigating the matter, it announced that it would do so No more babies are being admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). They will be transferred to other facilities once they are stabilized.
She also said she is taking steps to make the unit safer, including installing a live-stream camera and ensuring all caregivers participate in safety training programs.
Currently, Strootman has been denied bail and has been ordered by the court to have no contact with children under the age of 18.
Public Defender Scott Cardani, who is representing Strootman, told ABC News on Tuesday that she has not yet filed a plea, which He declined to comment On the charges. She is expected to return to court for a hearing in late March.
Hucke told Fox5 Washington All victimsIt is assumed that their total number was seven, and they were boys.
He said that although all the victims had different injuries and came from non-white families, there were no other common factors.
But Henrico County police officials were quick to take action Shut down online speculation That Strootman targeted victims based on race.
The police department addressed the accusations on Tuesday, writing in a statement that they were aware of several “editorial videos on social media” discussing the investigation and promoting racially motivated theories about the alleged abuse.
“Henrico Police are aware of editorial videos on social media discussing the NICU investigation at Henrico Doctors Hospital,” a statement said.
“These individuals claim in the video that the suspect targeted the victims because of their race.
“Preliminary investigations indicate This information is not factual“.
This case echoes the case of British serial killer nurse Lucy Letby, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 for the murder of seven children and the attempted murder of six others. In July 2024, Letby was also convicted of attempted murder of his premature baby girl.
Letby waited until the children were left alone in the hospital before she attacked them, witnesses testified during her trial in 2023. She killed seven infants by injecting air into their stomachs and bloodstreams. Letby also made attempts on the life of six other newborns by lacing feeding bags with insulin, overfeeding, and physical assault.
She never admitted any wrongdoing and maintained her innocence throughout her trial and retrial.
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