PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Delaware County couple has been charged with child abuse after prosecutors say they physically abused their 1-year-old twins to the point of near death.
The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said 23-year-old Armani Coleman and 18-year-old Zamareon Moat intentionally starved their “medically fragile” 1-year-old daughter to the point where she nearly died.
The parents are also accused of hitting their 1-year-old son so hard on the head that he almost died. Officers responded to calls about an unconscious infant on Jan. 22 at a home in Chester. The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said Coleman and Moat told investigators the child may have hit his head on a door jamb while crawling.
However, the boy’s injuries were investigated and later classified as “near fatal.” Officials said he suffered blunt-impact trauma from the injury and had injuries consistent with being shaken.
After the boy’s diagnosis, a doctor examined his twin sister and found bruises and bite marks on the girl’s face and body, as well as injuries consistent with restraint or strangulation.
Both parents were the sole caretakers of the twins. Detectives searched their devices and discovered they had looked up “scar removal cream for toddlers,” “how to get rid of a bite mark,” and “can you tell if a baby has been choked?”
The Delaware County Department of Children and Youth Services had been investigating how the children were being cared for after they missed 15 medical appointments. Officials said the parents did not have the medical equipment needed to care for the girl, who has a medical condition that requires oxygen.
Moat and Coleman are charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children. They are being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.