A West Virginia man, aged 41, has been arrested and charged with child abuse and strangulation, following allegations that he severely injured his three-month-old daughter. Timothy L. Ferrebee was taken into custody after the infant was found to have sustained significant internal injuries. The child’s mother, who is not Ferrebee’s current partner, brought the baby to the hospital immediately after a custody exchange.
Ferrebee’s ex-wife and current girlfriend, 36-year-old Jerri Ferrebee, was also arrested in connection with the case. She faces charges of child neglect resulting in injury and failure to report. She is not the biological mother of the child.
The West Virginia State Police Clay County Division responded to a call from Summersville Regional Medical Center regarding the injured infant. Due to the severity of the baby’s condition, she was transferred to Ruby Memorial Children’s Hospital in Morgantown for specialized pediatric care.
The infant had suffered internal damage to both lungs and had air trapped in her thoracic cavity, necessitating immediate surgery. She also had bruising and a laceration on her esophagus that required surgical intervention. The baby was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma.
According to reports, Timothy Ferrebee initially denied any knowledge of how his daughter sustained her injuries. However, upon further questioning, he allegedly began to suggest that he might have caused the injuries, stating that he had “squeezed” the baby in an attempt to “relieve it of built-up feces.”
Ferrebee later allegedly admitted that he had been “frustrated” after a long day of work and a “verbal assault” from his girlfriend, and had taken out his frustrations on the infant. He insisted that he was not frustrated with the baby, but that the baby was simply in front of him while he was venting his frustrations.
The incident reportedly occurred while Jerri Ferrebee was out of the house for approximately 40 minutes. Upon her return, she noticed “busted capillaries in the form of red marks on the infant’s stomach,” but did not report the incident or seek medical help.
Authorities noted that Jerri Ferrebee, a special needs educator aid with the Clay County School District, had a mandatory duty to report any physical abuse on a child. Her failure to report the injuries led to her being charged with gross child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury.
Timothy Ferrebee is currently being held in Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 bond, while Jerri Ferrebee is being held on a $55,000 cash-only bond.