Indy Foster Father Admits Breaking At Least 20 Of Infant's Bones

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- An Indianapolis area foster parent is facing neglect and battery charges after an infant under his care suffered at least 20 broken bones, WXIN reports. According to the news outlet, a doctor at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health notified officers on Jan. 31 that they were caring for a baby who had several posterior rib fractures, bruises and other broken bones across her body. Court documents show the injuries occurred while the foster mother was at the hospital and the foster father, 26-year-old Kyle Rice, was at home with the children, WXIN reports.

The baby was born in December 2017, premature, when it tested positive for marijuana, as WXIN says this caused the child to be removed from her biological mom's custody and placed into foster care, where she was put with Rice and the foster mother.

Doctors concluded the 20 fractures, 15 suspected fractures and several soft tissue injuries were indicative of physical abuse and warned the baby faced "significant risk of further, possibly fatal, injury" if returned to Rice. WXIN says the foster mother said she hadn't seen Rice do anything to hurt the child, however she mentioned there had been domestic violence issues between them in the past.

According to WXIN, police spoke to doctors, who agreed Rice's actions as described would have caused the injuries.

While police say Rice admitted to all of this happening in a single incident, WXIN says court documents show Rice initially denied knowing what happened to the little girl, but eventually confessed after talking to his family and his pastor.

WXIN reports Rice said the child became “particularly fussy” that day, as she wouldn't stop crying or calm down, so he “squeezed her forcefully against his body with his left arm while simultaneously bending her legs backwards towards her back with his right arm,” according to court documents. He then placed her on an ottoman used as a changing station, and grabbed both of her hands and feet in his hands and squeezed them, while he pushed them back towards her chest. WXIN reports Rice said after about ten seconds, he knew he had done it too hard.

Rice is charged with battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years old and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury.

WXIN says Rice told police he was frustrated, but regretted what he did because of how it would reflect on foster parents.

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