A heartbreaking story has emerged from Pennsylvania, where a man is now facing attempted homicide charges after a tragic incident involving his girlfriend’s one-year-old son. The incident happened on November 23 in Washington County when 24-year-old Lyndon Henderson was babysitting the toddler while the boy’s mother was at work.
When the mother returned home, she found her little boy unresponsive on the couch. The child was rushed to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, where doctors discovered he had suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was placed on a ventilator, and the medical team revealed more horrifying details—the boy had a broken vertebra and had even suffered a stroke.
Initially, Henderson was charged with aggravated assault, but those charges were upgraded to attempted homicide on December 31 after further investigations. During a police interview, Henderson claimed the boy had fallen off the couch after he spun him around in circles during playtime. He said the child had been smiling after the fall. However, a doctor who treated the toddler strongly disagreed, stating the injuries were without a doubt the result of child abuse.
The boy’s paternal grandmother, Carla Darrell, expressed her deep anguish, saying, “He was on all kinds of machines. He was beat like a man. A man beat my grandson.”
The child remains in a medically induced coma at UPMC Children’s Hospital, weeks after being admitted. His condition is critical, and his family is holding on to hope for his recovery.
Henderson was arrested and is currently being held without bail at the Washington County Correctional Facility. His next court hearing is scheduled for January 22.
