A 29-year-old father and a 31-year-old mother have been arrested in North Carolina on charges of torturing their 10-month-old kid, who was allegedly covered in bite marks and burns from a cigarette lighter. Martavious Levar Smith and Shalisa Monai Lowe were arrested over the weekend and charged with one count each of felony intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, patrol deputies responded to a residence in the 100 block of Powder Horn Road on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to check on the welfare of a 10-month-old kid. According to authorities, the infant’s relatives contacted the sheriff’s office after noticing “bruises and other unexplained markings on the child’s body.”
When deputies and county emergency medical workers arrived at the location, they found the youngster and noticed “several bruises and injuries to the child,” according to the release.
The infant was taken by EMS to Iredell Memorial Hospital for treatment. The medical staff who evaluated the infant found that the injuries were “consistent with physical abuse,” according to authorities. Because of the seriousness of the infant’s condition, he was transported to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital for additional evaluation and treatment.
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Detectives from the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division took over the investigation, interviewing family members and other prospective witnesses and gathering evidence from medical tests completed at the two hospitals.
“Medical experts at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital determined the injuries to the child were caused by intentional physical abuse and some of the injuries were consistent with cigarette lighter burns and bite marks,” according to the news release. “As a result of evidence collected during the investigation and statements made by the parents of the victim, both were charged with felony intentionally child abuse causing serious bodily injury.”
Smith and Lowe were detained on July 27 and lodged in the Iredell County Detention Center. Iredell County Magistrate Judge Stanley Watkins ordered Smith to be held instead of a $100,000 secured bond. Lowe was ordered jailed on a $80,000 secured bond.
Authorities highlighted that the sheriff’s office is still investigating the alleged abuse, with cooperation from the Iredell County Department of Social Services.
The family member who called the sheriff’s office told Charlotte, North Carolina’s ABC and Telemundo affiliate WSOC about the incident.
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The individual, who did not want to be identified, told the station that they felt compelled to alert the authorities after being turned down after warning the parents that the baby’s injuries required immediate medical attention. The family member also stated that the infant had been released from the hospital and was doing quite well.
A neighbor told the station that they had seen Lowe outside frequently playing with the victim and other children and that it “looked like she was a great mother.”