02-06-2025
Nurse charged in Raleigh County after a child was taken to a hospital with a broken femur
RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — A home health nurse in Raleigh County was charged after a child was rushed into emergency surgery with a broken femur.
According to a criminal complaint, the nurse, identified as Alisha Dawn Dowdy, was charged with Child Abuse Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury after a 9-year-old child was found with a broken femur.
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The criminal complaint stated that at around 1:59 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025, a member of the West Virginia State Police received a report from Ruby Memorial Hospital through Raleigh County Dispatch, about potential child abuse. The Trooper reportedly got into contact with a forensic nurse who stated that a nine-year-old patient came in with a femur that was 'completely broken in two' on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
According to the complaint, due to the femur being the hardest bone in the body and being very difficult to break, the injury was 'alarming.' The nurse reportedly stated that the injury allegedly occurred while the child was alone at a house with Dowdy, who was the child's home health nurse.
Information in the criminal complaint stated that the child's grandmother was then contacted by the Trooper. The child's grandmother reportedly told the Trooper that at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2025, the child was left at the house for three hours with Dowdy until the grandmother got home at around 2:00 p.m.
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According to the criminal complaint, once the grandmother got home she found Dowdy crying due to believing that her husband was cheating before Dowdy left early. The grandmother checked on the child because something reportedly felt wrong due to the child already being moved from a hospital bed to the grandmother's bed, something that the complaint stated was not usually done until around 4:00 p.m.
The criminal complaint stated that the child's 'right leg flopped over her arm' and that she 'screamed in pain' when the grandmother picked the child up to move her to the living room. The child was taken to WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital (PCH) after the grandmother called 911, and once at PCH, the child's femur was discovered to be a clean break and was broken in two.
The child was then taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for emergency surgery, and that doctor's told the Trooper that the injury 'had to have been caused by pressure or some sort of blow to the leg.' In the complaint, the doctor's also reportedly told the Trooper that 'there was no way that (Dowdy) did not know that the (child's) leg was broken' and when the incident happened.
The complaint then stated that at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025, the Trooper met with Dowdy at the Beckley Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, where Dowdy was informed of her rights and agreed to give a statement.
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According to the complaint, Dowdy stated that she was home alone with the child on Thursday, May 22, 2025 for around three hours, and that she carried out the usual routine and range of motion exercises with the minor. The Trooper reportedly asked Dowdy if she noticed the child crying or if anything popped or broke, and the complaint stated that Dowdy said no.
The complaint stated that the Trooper then asked Dowdy if she noticed anything wrong when moving the child from the hospital bed to the grandparents' bed and Dowdy reportedly said no. According to the complaint, the information provided by Dowdy contradicted the information about the injury given by the child's doctors, and not noticing the break would have been 'impossible due to the nature of the break and the swinging of the (victim's) leg.'
Dowdy was interviewed again at around 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, 2025 after she was informed of her rights and agreed to give another statement, the complaint stated. Events that occurred on the day of the incident were reviewed again, and Dowdy allegedly mentioned that the child was not given additional medication to help the child fall asleep before family arrived.
According to the criminal complaint, the child allegedly not having taken additional medications was reportedly odd due to the fact that the child was asleep with a broken femur. Dowdy also reportedly told the Trooper that she child was not crying that day and that she 'never cried.'
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After additional interviews, Dowdy was arrested and charged with Child Abuse Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. She is currently being held in Southern Regional Jail under a $150,000 bond.
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