JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) – An Arkansas mother is suspected of injuring her 6-month-old baby after doctors told police the baby suffered injuries that could only be attributed to a “major car accident or physical abuse.”

Craighead County District Court Judge Tommy Fowler found probable cause Saturday for police to arrest 19-year-old Ryanne Elizabeth Foster on suspicion of second-degree assault. reports KAIT.

The charge stems from a complaint made in July about a 6-month-old child taken to a hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas, then later transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, with serious injuries.

Foster and the child’s father reported that the child was born prematurely and had seizures after being brought home from the neonatal intensive care unit. The father said the seizures occurred when he was not around.

Foster claimed the child, whom she called a “potato,” fell off the couch during one such seizure, causing the injuries. However, according to the affidavit, doctors told investigators the baby had “mixed bleeding on the right and left brain, microecchymoses on the front and back of the brain” and multiple fractures to her arms and legs.

“When I asked the doctor what could cause injuries like these in a 6-month-old, I was told it would have to be a very serious car accident or physical abuse,” said Sgt. Bill Brown in court documents.

When Brown tried to talk to the parents about the alleged injuries, Foster “didn’t call” him back.

Brown finally spoke to the child’s father a second time on Saturday. He reportedly apologized and said he left Foster and moved out of town. According to the affidavit, he told Brown he feared the child “could end up dead” if he remained in Foster’s care.

“(He) talked about Ryanne describing (the baby) as a sack of flour and that there was more of an emotional connection with their dog than (with) the baby,” Brown said.

During Wednesday’s probable cause hearing, when asked if she had any other children, Foster replied, “I have a dog.”

Police arrested Foster on Monday and booked her into the Craighead County Detention Center, where she remains on a $50,000 cash bond. The judge ordered her to have no contact with her child.

Foster is scheduled to appear in circuit court on Dec. 17.

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