Parents arrested after baby had broken arm, 15 previous fractures, Coast sheriff says

A Saucier couple has been arrested after a 3-month-old was taken to the hospital with a broken arm, and 15 previous fractures were found, Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said in a press release.

Hunter Patterson, 25, and Kelee Patterson, 27, face on one count each of felony child abuse.

Workers with Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services told sheriff’s investigators that on March 28 the Pattersons’ 3-month-old child was brought to a hospital with a fractured arm and over 15 healed or healing fractures throughout the infant’s body, Peterson said.

The child was transferred to USA Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama, for further treatment and testing.

After an investigation, Peterson said, deputies determined the parents were responsible for the injuries.

Sheriff’s investigators obtained warrants for the the couple, and they surrendered Thursday at the county’s Criminal Investigation Division.

The Pattersons have been booked into the Harrison County Adult Detention Facility, each on a $25,000 bond set by Judge Melvin Ray.

The infant has since been released from the hospital and is in the custody of the Department of Human Services.