A Millville woman is charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child after she brought her unconscious daughter to a hospital last week with severe injuries.
The 4-year-old girl is intubated with a brain bleed on both sides of her head, injuries to her chest, cuts to her mouth and nose, and bruises all over her body.
Elinette Muniz, 21, first told hospital staff the girl had fallen from a bunk bed, but the injuries were not consistent with a fall, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
In an effort to keep her family from finding out, Muniz and her boyfriend drove more than 25 miles to Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill rather than the Vineland hospital about a mile from their home, the affidavit states.
But first, Muniz and Ricardo Ferrera said they stopped at the liquor store and for gas, police said.
No charges were yet available against Ferrera.
Muniz originally told investigators from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office that the injuries happened in Glassboro. Finding that unbelievable, Muniz's real location was tracked using her cell phone's GPS.
At the home, detectives found multiple pieces of the girl's clothing with blood on them, along with blood spatter on the walls, the affidavit states. That led to a search warrant.
Muniz then admitted to striking the girl in the mouth and nose hard enough to draw blood, which she said accounted for the blood on the walls, according to the charges. She said the other injuries were from the girl falling multiple times.
Muniz said the girl has suffered seizures and hit her head multiple times.
Injuries to the girl's chest are consistent with being struck with something about the size of a softball, according to the affidavit.
Ferrera also told investigators he saw Muniz "pop" the little girl in the mouth. He also said the girl fell multiple times and hit her head.
Muniz is currently in the Cumberland County jail.
