A Buffalo woman and her ex-boyfriend were arrested after a 7-month-old child was brought to the hospital suffering from brain-damage.
The 26-year-old told police that she brought the child to the hospital after leaving him in the care of a homeless man.
Mendez’s ex-boyfriend, Frank Redd, 26, was arrested the next day in relation to the assault of the brain-dead infant after a tipster provided information to police about the man.
Redd has been charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and reckless assault, according to a police report.
“If the child takes a turn for the worse, those charges could be updated,” Capt. Jeff Rinaldo, a spokesman for the Buffalo Police Department, told The Buffalo News.
Rinaldo said the 7-month-old was not injured in any single incident but in a series of assaults over a four-month period.
Redd is not the father of the infant and does not have a permanent address, reported the newspaper.
The entire right side of the boy’s brain died due to an inadequate blood supply. He remains in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at the Children’s hospital. Child Protective Services was also notified, reported the newspaper.
On Friday morning, Mendez pleaded not guilty during her first court appearance in Buffalo City Court and her bail was set at $25,000. She is currently being held at the Erie County Holding Center.
