Virginia police have arrested a registered nurse in connection with a twisted attack that left a vulnerable newborn in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit with an “unexplainable fracture” in November – and additional charges could come as detectives continue to probe a half dozen similar incidents.
The 26-year-old suspect, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, was booked into the Henrico County Jail on charges of malicious wounding and child abuse that caused serious injury around 1:15 a.m. Friday.
A perplexing string of injuries to babies in the NICU at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond in November and December prompted officials to launch an internal investigation and close the unit to new patients on Christmas Eve.
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Public records show Strotman’s registered nurse’s license was first issued in 2019 and is valid until May 2026.
“In late November/December, we discovered that three babies in our Henrico Doctors’ Hospital NICU had unexplainable fractures, similar to an incident involving four babies in the summer of 2023,” the hospital said in a statement.
Concerned parents reported the injuries to Child Protective Services last year.
“Finally we can get some answers as to who abused our son. I wish I could say it was a happy moment learning of her arrest, however, learning the details involving the other babies, the only feeling I have is sadness and regret,” Dominique Hackey, the father of one of the victims, told Fox News Digital Friday. “I am heartbroken to learn the degree in what this person was allowed to get away with, and regret that I should’ve spoke up sooner in hopes to prevent other children from getting hurt. “
Hackey first went public with his story to the local news station WTVR-TV last month, revealing the confusion surrounding one of his twin son’s injuries. He suffered a mysterious fracture to his tibia in September 2023. His mother, a former NICU nurse herself, reported the injury to social services.
It wasn’t until a year later that Henrico CPS told them it had concluded that their son was the victim of physical abuse from an unnamed hospital staffer. Then in October, county police reportedly told them about the other, similar cases.
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The hospital announced its NICU shutdown on Dec. 24 after the three latest incidents, but even then the alleged assailant remained unknown until police announced Strotman’s arrest Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are not admitting any additional babies into our NICU at this time,” the hospital said on Christmas Eve. “While fractures occasionally happen with pre-term babies since they lack full fetal bone development, we are actively working to determine how these fractures occurred.”
While hospital officials said previously that fractures can happen to premature babies, they nevertheless increased security, installed new surveillance systems and notified police after the second series of attacks.
New safety measures included training on general safety and how to identify and report signs of abuse, head-to-toe examinations of the patients by doctors, and an observer system where each health care provider is accompanied by another clinician whenever they enter a baby’s room, the hospital said.
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They also turned over hours of surveillance video to police, who were still going through footage after arresting Strotman in connection with an incident that happened on Nov. 10.
“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 English said in a statement. “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.”
Charges have not been filed in Hackey’s case, but police said they are actively collecting evidence in all of the remaining incidents.
Strotman is a resident of Midlothian, a suburb of Richmond, and authorities are looking at her in connection with a number of similar cases between 2023 and 2024, Henrico police said Friday – including inactive cases.
“All of the previously closed cases related to these incidents have been reopened,” police said in a statement. “All of the families involved in this current broader investigation have been notified.”
Due to health care privacy laws, authorities said they could not release many additional details.
“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,” HCA Healthcare, which owns the hospital, said in a statement.
With additional charges possible, police are asking anyone with information to contact detectives at police@henrico.gov, visit P3tips.com or call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
Court records show Strotman’s prior run-ins with the law involved only minor traffic offenses.
She was scheduled for arraignment Friday morning at the Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
As for the Hackey family, their son has since recovered from his fracture and is doing well.
“He is a very adventurous little boy,” his father said.
