AUSTIN — Indiana State Police troopers arrested an Scott County childcare provider Friday evening after an investigation involving an injured 8-month-old child.
Lauren R. Salyers, 26, of Austin faces one Level 3 felony charge of battery, and a second Level 3 felony charge of neglect of a dependent, according to a news release from Sgt. Cary Huls.
Huls, the public information officer for the Sellersburg Post, said Detective Travis Baker began the investigation that led to Salyers’ arrest on May 30 when he met with the child’s mother and father at Norton’s Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
Baker learned the mother initially rushed the child to the Scott Memorial Hospital after finding a wound on the back of the child’s head when she picked the infant up from Salyers, who was providing childcare, Huls reported.
During his investigation, Baker also learned Salyers provided unlicensed, private daycare from her home in Austin.
After arriving at the hospital, a medical helicopter transported the infant to Norton’s Children’s Hospital in Louisville. Norton’s pediatric doctors treated the child for a skull fracture as well as a fractured left arm, Huls said.
He said Baker continued his investigation which included interviews with Lauren Salyer and others who had contact with the child in the preceding hours. At the conclusion of his investigation, Baker supplied forwarded the information to the Scott County prosecutor for review and requested an arrest warrant for Salyers.
On Friday, the Scott County Circuit court issued an arrest warrant for Salyers. She was arrested by troopers at her Austin residence on Friday afternoon and transported to the Scott County Jail without incident.