A Northampton man who moved to Pennsylvania, USA, after meeting his girlfriend on Facebook is behind bars accused of badly beating their three-month-old son.
Craig Underwood, formerly of Blueberry Rise, Ecton Brook, was arrested by police in Neshannock township accused of inflicting a catalogue of injuries on the baby, including a fractured skull, multiple broken ribs, a broken leg, black eyes, bruises and scratches.
US Police have charged Underwood, aged 27, with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children. District Judge Scott McGrath set his release bond at $250,000 and remanded him in the Lawrence County jail.
Underwood had been living with the child’s mother and was taking care of the baby while she was at work.
Police learned the couple had been arguing and Underwood had threatened to leave.
The mother told police she went home from work and noticed the baby had two black eyes, bruises and scratches on his face. When she asked Underwood what happened, he said he didn’t know what she was talking about.
The mother took the baby to a specialist children’s hospital for further evaluation. That was when the extent of the baby’s injuries was revealed. The doctor also contacted Lawrence County Children and Youth Services through a Childline report. The agency then called police.
The baby’s mother told police that when she returned home from the doctor’s office to confront Underwood, she found he had packed some clothes and was gone.
Police determined that Underwood was the only person who had been with the baby during the time he was injured.