PUEBLO — A man and woman face child abuse charges after their infant son died Wednesday.
On June 29 around 3:15 a.m., Faith Hughes, 20, took her 23-month-old son to a local hospital. The baby was unresponsive and had obvious signs of severe injuries, Pueblo police said. He had bruising on his whole body and multiple brain bleeds. The child was flown to Children’s Hospital Colorado in critical and seriously unstable condition.
Hughes initially reported that they were both randomly assault by an unknown person while walking on the east side of Pueblo.
That account was later determined to be false, police said.
Police said the father of the child, Skyler Chapman, 21, had transported the mother and son to the hospital and then left. He was later located at his residence and he and Hughes were interviewed at Pueblo Municipal Justice Center.
An investigation found that the child had been physically abused by both his parents, police said.
Both parents were arrested for child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and booked into the Pueblo County Detention Center.
On Wednesday, after days of medical treatment and evaluation, the child succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Chapman’s charges were upgraded to murder in the first degree and child abuse resulting in death. Hughes’s charges were amended to child abuse resulting in death and accessory.
Both were still in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.
