Crime & Courts

17-month-old girl dies; police suspect child abuse

A 21-year-old man is being held on suspicion of child abuse.
A 21-year-old man is being held on suspicion of child abuse. File photo

A 17-month-old girl who police think could have been the victim of child abuse was pronounced dead Saturday morning.

The child was pronounced dead at 8:09 a.m. Saturday, Wichita police Capt. Jeff Weible said.

When emergency crews arrived in the 5100 block of South Meridian on Monday, they were told the girl had fallen 30 minutes before the call, Weible said Tuesday. The girl had been at home with her 4- year-old sister and their mother’s 21-year-old boyfriend. The mother, 38, was at work at the time.

The baby had multiple bruises and other internal injuries, Weible said Tuesday.

“These injuries are indicative of child abuse,” Weible said.

Michael Ross, the boyfriend of the girl's mother, was arrested and charged with child abuse and aggravated battery. His bond has been set at $100,000.

Contributing: Stan Finger

Matt Riedl: 316-268-6660, @RiedlMatt

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 12:08 PM with the headline "17-month-old girl dies; police suspect child abuse."

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