Henderson woman arrested on suspicion of child abuse

Henderson police have arrested a 20-year-old woman after her young daughter was hospitalized with severe injuries.

Keniya Stallworth was arrested Dec. 8 on suspicion of child abuse or neglect with substantial bodily harm. The arrest stems from injuries suffered by her daughter, who was hospitalized at a St. Rose hospital campus the prior day.

A Henderson Police Department arrest report for Stallworth indicates an emergency room physician advised police the youth “had sustained three broken ribs, a lacerated liver, retinal hemorrhages, and possible contusions to the brain. There was also an old pelvic fracture discovered.”

The age of the child was blacked out in the report. Stallworth first told police she found the child on a bed three to five days earlier with a big red mark on her head, the arrest report said. Stallworth said it appeared the child dropped a statue on her head. She said her boyfriend eventually told Stallworth the child was crying, so he brought the child to her and she “looked dead,” police said in the report.

“(She) was unresponsive and her tongue was hanging out of her mouth,” police quoted Stallworth as saying. “At this point Keniya decided to call 911.”

A witness told police she spoke with Stallworth around the same time. The witness said Stallworth asked her how she should deal with an injury the child suffered, and the witness told Stallworth to take the child to the hospital. Stallworth replied she wouldn’t because she was afraid “the hospital would ask too many questions.”

Another witness told police of a similar conversation with Stallworth, police said in the arrest report.

Police said Stallworth then told them that three to four days earlier, she caught the child playing with a power cord. “Keniya smacked (the child’s) hand, open hand slapped her right side on the ribs, then picked her up and ‘tossed’ her onto a bed,” police said in the report.

Police also relayed an account of the child suffering an injured leg roughly 10 days ago when the child walked on a wet floor and fell.

“She did notice (the child) walked with a limp after,” police said. “The incident occurred a week and a half ago and sometimes (the child) would whimper when walking on the injured leg.”

Further details about the condition of the child at the hospital were not immediately availble Friday. Stallworth remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center as of Friday morning.

A preliminary hearing in Henderson Justice Court is scheduled for Dec. 29.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.