Mother of critically injured infant speaks

TOLEDO -- A Toledo mother is outraged and speaking out about the person who police say tortured her baby. "My baby has shaken baby syndrome. That will never go away. My daughter has brain damage. That will never go away." These are the words of Amber Thomas.

We were the first ones to tell you about the child endangerment investigation this week.

News 11's Lisa Rantala joins us live at the safety building.

Police say a 20-year-old relative was babysitting when she went into a fit of rage, threw the child and then lied about it. She faced a judge Wednesday morning and is now being held on a quarter-million dollar bond.

The baby's mother tells us that's not enough. "I have not a tear left in me. I've cried so much that I don't have a tear left," said Amber Thomas, the baby's mother.

It's now a minute-by-minute waiting game to see if her eight-month-old daughter will survive the major injuries to her brain. Thomas explains, "Her blood vessels in her brain were ripped. When they did the surgery, they didn't know all that yet. They had to, literally, put them back together one by one."

Thomas says her step-sister, Crystal Barnett, was watching her baby Sunday night. "...and then I'd seen her on the news today and it infuriated me," Thomas said, "Her standing there crying, acting like she really cared."

Police say Barnett threw the baby into a TV stand at full force, then claimed her two-year-old son threw the baby off the bed. Thomas told News 11, "And here I grabbed a hold of her son and asked how he could do this. And crystal grabbed a hold of me and hugged me."

Thomas said she defended her sister to everyone, even the police, until she found out her daughter now suffers from shaken baby syndrome. She says, "While my daughter was in surgery, she (Barnett) touched me with the hands that could have killed my daughter."

Now that police say Barnett confessed, Thomas wants her to face more than charges of child endangerment and torture. "I hope Crystal rots in Hell. I hope she rots in Hell," she said.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Shaken
• Baby
• Syndrome
• Amber
• Thomas
• Crystal
• Barnett

[GgirlPpower]

who the hell are people supposed to trust with their babies if not a sister?

[sarofan]

poor mother

poor baby...

i hope the baby recover 100%

**can i ask you where do you find those?

[calinours1985]

Arrrghhhh this makes me sooo angry! Poor innocent child such a defendless little one there has to be a stop to this! I am a new mother of a beautifil baby girl. I am so terrified to leave her under the care of someone that can harm her! God bless the souls of all babiea and please end this !

[123Larra]

That woman isn't really crying. Why do so many people fall for that? When someone is crying there are tears and snot, no way around it. Crunching up your face and whinning is not crying. She is just upset because she is in trouble now.

[tanickawhitaker]

I know right! I dont know how a grown woman couldnt get that a 2 year old couldnt do that.... Then again grief does strange things to the mind. It sucks all around.

[thetoolbox112394]

@tanickawhitaker right, that's what i said.

[tanickawhitaker]

@thetoolbox112394 1:39 you need to watch the videos more closely! The sister said her 2 year old did it. And the mother BELIEVED it. Thats what i was talking about. Reread my first sentence. Get your facts straight then come tell me about fucked up.

[thetoolbox112394]

@tanickawhitaker that is fucked up. this is the baby's AUNT we're talking about! what a child. making up something like that just to save her ass!

[tanickawhitaker]

@thetoolbox112394 I dont get how Amber could BELIEVE that story for a second! 8 month old babies are HEAVY! Too heavy for a 2 year old to throw at full force! Or even really pick up enough to throw at the level of a tv stand. What a fucked up mess!

[gailanddarren]

hope ur sister gets life in jail

[bradnjay1]

@mrASS617 this is really not funny even if your playing. I see you really do live up to your name.

[mrASS617]

lmao owned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i would so throw a baby at a tv full force to omg this is fuckin funny