Taunton woman arrested for allegedly beating boyfriend’s 2-year-old son so badly he was hospitalized
The woman initially said the boy hit his head on the bathtub, but police say that’s not true.
A Taunton woman was arrested and held without bail this week after allegedly severely beating her boyfriend’s 2-year-old son on Dec. 11. The boy was hospitalized with severe head injuries.
The Taunton Gazette reported that 27-year-old Alanna Taylor was arrested on a warrant five days after she’s accused of beating the boy.
Police told the paper the boy underwent a 5-hour operation to treat a brain bleed and reduce pressure. He was initially listed in critical condition.
Though Taylor reportedly told police the child fell and hit his head on the bathtub, court documents cited by the Gazette dispute that story.
A hospital assessment said the boy’s head injury was likely from blunt-force trauma, not a fall, and said other injuries such as bruising “are consistent with inflicted injuries and a diagnosis of child physical abuse.”
The child was reportedly bruised on his buttocks, ear, jaw, right cheek, neck, thigh, abdomen, and under his left eye.
A friend of Taylor said she was with Taylor for about half an hour that day and received a frantic Facebook message from her shortly after she left the apartment.
She reportedly rushed back to the home to find the boy “lifeless,” but Taylor allegedly told her not to call the police.
Taylor has a 1-year-old daughter with the boy’s father and a 5-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, the Gazette reported.
The Department of Children and Families has been notified of the incident, and Taylor is due back in court Thursday.
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