Man charged in death of daughter has trial rescheduled

A Washington County man charged in connection with the death of his 17-month-old daughter did not go to trial this week as planned.

Ricardo Medina, 23, of rural Bismarck, is charged with child abuse resulting in death, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and second-degree domestic assault. 

His trial had originally been scheduled for this week in Ste. Genevieve County before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte but it was rescheduled for April 26-28.

The child’s mother, Jaimee Kelly Scott, 23, of rural Bismarck, is charged with one count of endangering the welfare of child. Her trial date has not yet been set.

An ambulance and police responded to the couple’s home early April 1, 2009. The child was barely breathing. She was taken Mineral Area Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital for a skull fracture. She died a few days later.

According to court records, Medina caused injury to the child by throwing her from approximately five feet to a hardwood floor. The child was thrown with such force it caused a fracture to the skull and bleeding to occur between the brain and protective membrane.

The child also had bruises on her head, neck, back, arms, legs, trunk and buttocks.

“These wounds are consistent with child abuse based on my experience and training,” Investigator Todd Mahaney said in the probable cause statement. “The bruises were in the shapes of finger tips, and were in various stages of healing.”

Mahaney said Medina pushed the mother to a couch in a forceful manner and then began to choke her. He said the choking was severe enough that the mother briefly lost consciousness.

Scott told Mahaney that Medina had held the child by one foot, swinging the child upside down.

“The swinging of the child was within the confines of a portable playpen, and the child’s face made contact with the mesh sides, causing an abrasion to the child’s lip which resulted in bleeding,” Mahaney said.

Scott told Mahaney that if authorities looked at the playpen, blood would be found on it, near the corner and on a doll. Mahaney said he did find the blood as described by the mother.

Scott’s charge alleges she failed to report the abuse to a legal authority and failed to remove the child from the danger of abuse at the hand of the baby’s father, Medina. 

Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.