Central Kentucky woman charged after 3-year-old burned, made to eat vomit, police say
A Madison County woman faces charges after she allegedly caused third-degree burns on a 3-year-old’s face, just one of the ways the child suffered, according to court records.
Jessica Chandler, 38, was charged earlier this month with assault - domestic violence, criminal abuse of a child 12 or younger and evidence tampering after she allegedly admitted to forcing a child to sit on a floor covered in bleach and ammonia, according to court records. She was scheduled for a court hearing Wednesday.
The investigation into alleged abuse started on Feb. 12 when Richmond police officers responded to Chandler’s home for a welfare check on the 3-year-old child, according to an arrest citation. An officer found the child in a bedroom at the back of the home suffering from “severe” burns.
The child also had a deep laceration on his foot that may have been infected, according to an arrest citation.
Chandler first told responding officers that the child received the burns by laying on the kitchen floor she had mopped with bleach and lye, according to an arrest citation. She then told emergency medical responders that the child received the burns by overturning a bucket of chemicals on himself.
The child was transported to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital to be treated for his injuries, which will require “extensive care and procedures,” according to an arrest citation.
Investigators also spoke with the child’s 12-year-old sibling, who told them that Chandler had forced the 3-year-old to eat his own vomit, sit on a hot stove and stay outside in the cold, according to an arrest citation. The 12-year-old also advised that Chandler verbally abused the 3-year-old.
Chandler was taken to the Richmond Police Department. She waived her Miranda rights and admitted that she’d poured bleach and ammonia on the floor and forced the child to lie on the floor while she cleaned up after the child urinated in her bed, according to an arrest citation.
She later waived her Miranda rights again and admitted that she withheld care from the 3-year-old for three days. She admitted to “blacking out” due to her level of intoxication on the night of the incident and said she couldn’t remember much, according to an arrest citation.
This wasn’t the first time a welfare check was done on the child. Employees from the Department for Community Based Services responded to Chandler’s home on Feb. 11. At that point, Chandler hid the abused child and instead presented the child’s twin brother to make it seem as though nothing was wrong, according to an arrest citation.
The community services employees left with the impression there were no injuries. Chandler admitted to police that she hid the injured child for fear of losing her kids, according to an arrest citation.
Chandler was taken to the Madison County Detention Center after she was charged, according to court records. She had a hearing scheduled Wednesday to review her bond, which was originally set at $50,000, according to court records.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 8:33 AM.