Cops recently took a woman into custody after a Virginia hospital kicked off an investigation into several newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who ended up with some “unexplainable fractures.”
Henrico Doctors’ Hospital dropped a notice on December 24, 2024, stating they won’t be taking in any more babies in their NICU for now, following the discovery of three infants with those fractures back in late November and December. On Friday, January 3, Henrico County Police put out a news release that made it clear Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, a 26-year-old from Chesterfield County, is now a suspect in this situation, as reported by PEOPLE.
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“Ms. Strotman faces charges of malicious wounding and felony child abuse in connection to an incident that occurred in November 2024,” police said, per the release. The investigation continued to reveal that authorities are “reviewing dozens of videos from inside the NICU. As previously mentioned, detectives are re-examining the 2023 and 2024 cases as part of this broader investigation.”
“We appreciate the families’ and public’s patience as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence in connection to these cases,” Henrico Chief of Police, Eric D. English, said, per the release.
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“I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering efforts of our detectives who continue to comb through hundreds of hours of footage and extend my sincere gratitude to Henrico’s Child Protective Services (Department of Social Services), the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Health and the Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in this matter,” the officer added.
HCA Virginia stated in a message shared with PEOPLE that the suspect arrested in connection with the investigation used to work at the hospital.
“We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and providing support to our colleagues who have been deeply and personally impacted by this investigation,” the statement read.
“We are grateful to those colleagues, who have dedicated their professional lives to the care and safety of our patients, as well as to law enforcement and the other agencies who have worked aggressively and tirelessly with us on this investigation,” it added.
HCA Virginia concluded, “For more than 30 years, the NICU at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital has provided necessary and life-saving care to babies in central Virginia and we remain focused on ensuring the availability of that care in our community.”
