Dad fractures infant son’s skull twice in three months: Police

The baby’s mother covered for him once before

An Austin, Texas, man was arrested for fracturing his 9-month-old son’s skull twice in three months.

The child’s mother, Rosaria Alvitar, brought him in to Dell Children’s Medical Center (DCMC) on Thursday, telling staff it was the second skull fracture her son had suffered in recent months. The mother said her son was in his father’s care when the baby fell off the bed onto the concrete floor, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

DCMC records showed the 9-month-old was treated for a skull fracture in December 2016. At the time, Alvitar claimed the injury was from the child falling off the bed, and she said she was present at the time, according to KEYE-TV.

Alvitar later changed her story, reportedly telling police that she wasn’t present when her son was injured the first time and that she lied to protect the baby’s father, Edward Candido Rivera, 24. But a second incident, combined with what she said was Rivera’s history of abusive behavior towards her and her children, led her to believe he was responsible for hurting her child. 

When questioned, Rivera reportedly admitted to hitting the 9-month-old with an open hand twice and grabbing his face because he kept crying. The 24-year-old also confessed to hitting his son in the head in December.

Rivera was arrested and charged with injury to a child. The father faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the third-degree felony. His bail was set at $25,000. According to CBS Austin, he was no longer listed as an inmate at Travis County Jail as of Sunday afternoon, having presumably been released on bail.