In re Raul V.

BACKGROUND

A. Referral and Investigation

On the evening of June 2, 2021, Mother brought three-month-old Raul to the

hospital emergency room because of swelling in his upper left arm. The child was found

to have an acute fracture of that arm as well as an older fracture of the left femur that had

started to heal. He also had marks on his upper left thigh that appeared to have been

caused by adult fingernails, and he was missing the frenulum under his tongue. San

Bernardino County Children and Family Services (CFS) received a referral alleging

physical abuse of Raul and dispatched the after-hours social worker to the hospital, where

she interviewed the physician’s assistant (PA), the nurse, police officers who had

consulted with the examining physician, Mother, and R.M. (Father).

The referral noted that Mother appeared suspicious when the reporting party was

asking her questions. The nurse reported that Mother’s behavior with her son was “‘not

really appropriate,’” she left him alone on the bed, and the nurse had to care for him and

give him his bottle. The PA reported that Mother expressed interest in the child’s tongue,

stating that an aunt or great-aunt had…