Dad charged with child abuse for serious injuries suffered by 19-month-old son (Laurens County, South Carolina)

Dad RODERICK WOODRUFF has been charged with child abuse after his 19-month-old son was hospitalized with serious injuries (bleeding on the brain and retinal damage are often seen in severely shaken babies and young children). Once again...we have the conspicuous lack of a mother in this story. Note that the children 19-month-old son and his older sibling are now in "alternative care." What' s up with that?

http://www.wyff4.com/news/23017074/detail.html

Police: Father Seriously Injured 19-Month-Old
Child Has Bleeding On Brain, Retinol Tears
POSTED: 5:04 pm EDT March 31, 2010
UPDATED: 5:07 pm EDT March 31, 2010

LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. -- A Laurens County man has been charged with child abuse after his 19-month-old son was rushed to Greenville Memorial Hospital with serious injuries including bleeding on his brain.

According to a police incident report, Roderick Woodruff, 32, said he heard a noise from the child's room early the morning on March 26. Woodruff said he went in the child's room and found the toddler unresponsive laying on the floor next to a bunk bed the child shares with an older sibling.

Deputies said Woodruff told them picked up the child and shook him to try to get the child to respond. When the child did not respond, Woodruff ran next door to his girlfriend's parents' home.

Woodruff told deputies that the child's grandmother, Margaret Ginn, began performing CPR on the child. A short time later the child started breathing again.

The report said Woodruff then picked up his son, and the child stopped breathing again. Ginn then performed CPR on the baby again.

The toddler was rushed to Greenville Memorial Hospital. The police report said the child had bleeding on his brain and behind the eyes with severe retinal tears.

The Laurens County Sheriff's office charged Woodruff with child abuse after they said the child's medical evaluation showed the injuries were too severe to have been caused by a fall.

Woodruff was arrested Tuesday. He was released on a $40,000 bond.

According the sheriff's office, the toddler and his older sibling were now in alternative care.