Police: Woman beat 3-year-old boy until he lost eyesight
Jul 11, 2012, 12:13 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
An Enumclaw woman is accused of shaking her boyfriend’s 3-year-old son so hard he had a brain hemorrhage and lost his eyesight, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
The boy was admitted to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma on May 29, with injuries that included an acute brain hemorrhage and multiple bruises to his head, chest and back, according to charging documents.
Doctors determined the boy’s injuries were the result of “non-accidental trauma,” and police were notified of a possible case of child abuse.
A detective with the Enumclaw Police Department questioned Chasity Renee DuFour, 25, about the injures. DuFour is the girlfriend of the victim’s father and acts as his caretaker during the week. DuFour claimed the boy had fallen from her bed and landed on a toolbox.
According to prosecutors, DuFour has had prior contact and referrals to Child Protective Services for domestic violence and an assault involving her son. She also tested positive for methamphetamine when contacted by CPS in 2011.
Based on interviews with family members of the child, prosecutors believe DuFour shook him over issues with potty training. During an interview, DuFour’s 5-year-old son told detectives that his mother often pushed and spanked the victim when he peed in his pants.
DuFour has been charged with second-degree assault of a child.
