Wausau daycare owner charged after baby in care suffers skull fracture and brain bleeding
WAUSAU − A home daycare operator is facing a felony charge after a 4-month-old baby she cared for was hospitalized with a skull fracture, brain bleeding and a hemorrhage in her eye.
Shawna L. Munguia, 35, of Wausau, faces a charge of physical abuse of a child recklessly causing great bodily harm. Marathon County Circuit Judge Rick Cveykus set a $2,500 cash bail June 2 during Manguia's initial appearance. She's scheduled for a hearing on June 9.
According to the criminal complaint, at 12:55 a.m. May 15, a woman brought her 4-month-old daughter to a Wausau hospital after the baby began throwing up. The baby was then transferred to Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield.
The mother said her baby had been at an in-home daycare center run by Munguia on May 14. When the mother went to pick the baby up at 4:30 p.m. May 14, she saw light bruising on the top of the baby's head, and Munguia said a child had fallen into Munguia while Munguia was holding the baby, causing the injury, according to the complaint.
More local news: 2 women hospitalized, one with life-threatening injuries, after Marathon County house fire
More local news: Wausau woman charged in 2-year-old daughter's overdose death
Doctors examining the baby at the hospital determined she had a skull fracture on the left side of her head, evidence of old and new brain bleeding, bruising on the left side of her head and hemorrhaging in her eyes, with it being worse in her right side, according to the complaint. A doctor told detectives the injuries could not have happened from the incident Munguia described, according to the complaint.
Detectives interviewed Munguia, who told them she didn't know how the baby got the injuries. When officers said the baby couldn't have been so seriously hurt from the child falling into Munguia, she said another child had fallen on the baby 10 times, according to the complaint.
Detectives showed Munguia a text message she had sent her husband stating that she was caring for a baby who wouldn't stop crying. The detective said the message sounded like Munguia was frustrated, according to the complaint.
Munguia admitted she had become frustrated when all the other children were down for naps, but the baby wouldn't stop crying. She said she picked the baby up from the couch, shook her and told her to stop crying, according to the complaint. Munguia said she didn't remember how many times she shook the baby back and forth, but she didn't think it was many times.
The detectives then arrested Munguia on suspicion of child abuse recklessly causing great bodily harm.
Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Wausau daycare owner charged after baby suffers skull fracture, brain bleeding
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kentucky man accused of not registering as a sex offender with ties to NC, Vermont at large
KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — A Kentucky man is at large after reportedly not registering as a sex offender, and Kentucky State Police (KSP) is asking for help tracking him down. In a Facebook post just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, KSP said that Robert Jessup, 44, is wanted for failing to comply with sex offender registration. Court records show that he was indicted in December 2023 for failing to register. Lexington man gets 28 years for cocaine trafficking, laundering Kentucky man accused of not registering as a sex offender with ties to NC, Vermont at large Lexington emergency 911 system down: What to dial in an emergency KSP noted that Jessup has ties to both Vermont and North Carolina. He stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall and has brown eyes. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact KSP Post 2 in Madisonville at 270-676-3313. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
23 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Orphaned bear cub ‘packed on the pounds' at NY rescue. See him return to wild
An orphaned black bear cub that defied the odds and 'survived a very cold winter alone' in upstate New York quickly 'packed on the pounds' and returned to the wild, video shows. The yearling cub was found all alone near skiing trails — 'so weak he could barely walk,' McClatchy News previously reported. 'The little guy was found on the slopes of Hunter Mt. in March,' Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center said in a Facebook post May 15. 'After only 60 days he packed on the pounds & he was ready to go home.' But as officials were getting ready to release him, more orphaned cubs joined him, the organization said in an April 23 post. 'Since Hunter bear (found on Hunter Mt) came in March, 3 more underweight and weak yearlings have landed with us as well as 5 cubs!' the organization said, adding that the Hunter Mountain bear looked good in a recent photo at the time. A photo shows the bear climbing on a log in his enclosure. Video of the bear's release shows him bursting out of a cage, then pausing to give a last look at the people who made his return to the wild possible. 'He looked back to say 'thank you!'' someone said in the comments. The cub hesitates before bounding off into the forest as someone off camera chuckles. 'I am crying,' someone said in the comments. 'It takes a big wide wild village.' The video also shows the release of another bear that the organization referred to as the Margaretville bear. 'She was spotted late last year as it was getting cold,' the organization said in the post. 'After two weeks of being seen running around looking for food in Margaretville, she was finally captured by Michael our long time volunteer. These two bears were extremely (underweight) when found & we are thrilled to say they made a great recovery. Let Wild Be Wild!' That bear took off into the forest with no hesitation, video shows. In a video shared shortly before the organization released the Hunter Mountain bear, four of the cubs are seen playing together in their enclosure. 'Just in case anyone was wondering what happens when you put 4 orphaned cubs in a 4x8 room,' the organization said in a May 3 post. 'If you guessed chaos you would be correct.' Video shows the cubs running around the enclosure, climbing up and down and then tumbling off a log. Several of the remaining cubs were released or will be released soon, according to posts from the organization and from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bogus fifties found at Woodway Walgreens, man arrested
Woodway, Tx (FOX 44) – Counterfeit $50 bills used to buy a prepaid cash card in Woodway were traced back to a Waco man, leading to his arrest. Syngin Jon Chaffee was booked into the McLennan County Jail on forgery charges Wednesday after surveillance photos of the transaction were used to identify him. The original incident occurred April 5 when a man with a beard entered the Walgreens at Estates Drive and Woodway Drive and used four fifty-dollar bills to load $200 onto a prepaid card. An arrest affidavit said it was not initially noticed that the bills were counterfeit until after the transaction was complete and he had left the store. The incident was reported to the Woodway Public Safety Department by Walgreens who also provided the counterfeit bills along with the surveillance video of the transaction. The affidavit stated that after the investigator shared a still photo of the suspect in a county investigator e-mail, he got a tip on a possible ID of the man. He then searched the name on Facebook and was able to find an account and match that photo with those on the site and on a Texas ID belonging to Syngin Chaffee. Man faces animal cruelty charge after kitten thrown on roof The affidavit stated the investigator contact Chaffee who met with him at the police station. The affidavit said he gave a statement about making the transaction, but claimed he did not know the bills were counterfeit. The affidavit stated that of the four bills used in the transaction, one was real and three were bogus. Chaffee was then arrested and transported to the jail where he remained Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
