Parents charged after an infant hospitalized in Albany with 3 skull fractures

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Parents in Albany are now facing charges after their infant was hospitalized Sept. 7 with multiple skull fractures.

Originally, an Albany Police Department (APD) report stated the infant was in the care of a relative for the night so the baby’s parents could have time without the child.

The night of the incident, police got conflicting stories about what happened.

The relative who was supposedly caring for the baby told police she let a pit bull out of the home where the family lives, and the dog knocked her to the ground while she was holding the baby. She said the infant’s head hit the porch as she fell.

The infant’s mother gave police a different story though, saying she was told the baby had been in her bassinet in the kitchen and “somehow” fell out.

Following the investigation, APD determined both parents were actually responsible for the child’s injuries.

Santos Velez, 41, the child’s father, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to children in the first degree, according to APD.

Officials also charged Kellie Velez, 37, the child’s mother, with aggravated battery (party to a crime) and cruelty to children in the first degree.

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