A 3-year-old girl in New Castle, Indiana, remains in critical condition on dialysis after severe injuries that investigators attribute to abuse by her mother and the mother's boyfriend. Kami Nelson, 23, and Lee E. O'Donnell Jr., 25, face charges of neglect resulting in catastrophic and serious bodily injury. The pair initially blamed the child's injuries on sleepwalking into door handles.
On March 25, police responded to a rental home on Broad Street in New Castle after reports of an unresponsive toddler. First responders found the girl naked on the floor, not breathing, and covered in bruises across nearly her entire body, according to a probable cause affidavit cited by local media. She received emergency aid before being airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where doctors performed surgery for lacerations to her intestines, internal bleeding, and acute kidney injury requiring dialysis. Medical staff described her as critically ill and in shock, with injuries consistent with non-accidental trauma rather than any medical condition or sleepwalking, investigators noted in the affidavit. Without intervention, the injuries likely would have been fatal, the document stated, and her prognosis remains guarded. The child's mother, Kami Nelson, first told police her daughter had been sleepwalking into door handles and had been vomiting due to illness. She said she delayed care because of a new job and lack of insurance. O'Donnell, who was caring for the children while Nelson worked, described her as having a volatile temper and being physical with the girl once or twice a day, including striking her and grabbing her face while eating. He admitted reluctance to report it, saying, 'because I don't want to end up homeless.' Both later blamed each other for the abuse. Authorities found drug paraphernalia and a second young child at the home. Nelson was arrested on March 25, and O'Donnell on March 27 after failing to appear for a polygraph test and being stopped on Interstate 70. Both are held in Henry County Jail on $191,000 surety bonds, with pretrial hearings set for June 11.