A 10-month-old boy had been attending a home daycare on North Kenwood Avenue in Indianapolis for less than two weeks when he stopped breathing in March and was rushed to Riley Hospital with brain bleeding so severe that doctors had to remove part of his skull. Now the daycare’s owner, 50-year-old Lawanda Hardnett-Rados, is charged with neglect and battery in connection with the infant’s injuries.
According to a probable cause affidavit cited by Fox 59, Hardnett-Rados told police she had returned home from a separate daytime job around 5 p.m. to take over child care duties at Safe Haven when she noticed the baby was whiny and shivering, and that he went limp while she was changing his clothes. That account stands in contrast to what investigators say happened based on witness statements and medical findings. A juvenile witness reported that the victim was crying before Hardnett-Rados took him into another room, and per court records, the child stopped breathing while the two were alone there.
An Indianapolis mother told police she found Hardnett-Rados performing CPR on her 10-month-old son, according to Fox 59’s reporting. The boy was placed in a coma after arriving at Riley Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove part of his skull because of the extent of the brain bleeding.
Doctors Point to Abusive Head Trauma
Per Riley doctors, the child’s injuries were likely caused by an adult shaking him or by a heavy strike. That medical assessment lines up with broader research from pediatric specialists at the hospital, who note that severe acute subdural hematomas in infants requiring craniectomies are considered classic indicators of Abusive Head Trauma, according to WTHR — injuries typically tied to violent shaking or high-impact force rather than minor accidental falls…