Police in Virginia have arrested a registered nurse in connection with a twisted attack that left a vulnerable newborn in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit with an “unexplained fracture” in November — and more charges could be coming as detectives continue to investigate half a dozen similar incidents.
The 26-year-old suspect, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, was booked into the Henrico County Jail on charges of malicious wounding and child abuse causing serious injury about 1:15 a.m. Friday.
A puzzling series of injuries to babies in intensive care at Henrico Doctors Hospital in Richmond in November and December prompted officials to launch an internal investigation and close the unit to new patients on Christmas Eve.
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Erin Strotman is pictured in a photo taken Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. A Virginia registered nurse faces charges of child abuse and malicious wounding in connection with an incident involving a newborn in intensive care in Richmond. (Henrico County Sheriff’s Office)
Public records show Strotman’s registered nurse license was first issued in 2019 and is valid until May 2026.
“In late November/December, we discovered that three babies in our Henrico Doctors NICU had unexplained fractures, similar to an incident involving four babies in the summer of 2023,” the hospital said in a statement.
Concerned parents reported the injuries to Child Protective Services last year.
“We can finally get some answers about who abused our son. I wish I could say it was a happy moment when I learned of her arrest, however, learning the details involving the other babies, the only feeling I have is sadness and regret.” , Dominique Hackey, the father of one of the victims, told Fox News Digital Friday. “I am heartbroken to learn how much this person was allowed to get away with and I regret that I should have spoken up sooner in the hope of preventing other children from being hurt.”
One of Hackey’s twin sons, pictured with a brace on his ankle after suffering a bizarre injury, which investigators later believed was caused by a hospital worker in a twisted case of child abuse. (Courtesy of Dominique Hackey)
Hackey first went public with his story to a local news station WTVR-TV last month, revealing confusion over injuries to one of his twin sons. In September 2023, he suffered a mysterious tibia fracture. His mother, herself a former intensive care nurse, reported the injury to social services.
It wasn’t until a year later that Henrico CPS told them it had concluded their son was the victim of physical abuse by unnamed hospital staff. Then in October, the county police allegedly notified them of other similar cases.
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The hospital announced the closure of the NICU on Dec. 24 after the three latest incidents, but even then the alleged attacker remained unknown until police announced Strotman’s arrest Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are currently not accepting additional babies in our intensive care unit,” the hospital said on Christmas Eve. “Although fractures occasionally occur in premature babies because they lack full fetal bone development, we are actively working to determine how these fractures occur.”
Now 16 months old, Noah Hackey has recovered from injury. (Courtesy of Dominique Hackey)
While hospital officials previously said the fractures could happen to premature babies, they have stepped up security, installed new surveillance systems and notified police after the second spate of attacks.
The new safety measures included training on general safety and how to identify and report signs of abuse, head-to-toe patient examinations by doctors and a spotter system in which each health care provider is accompanied by another clinician whenever they enter a child’s room, the hospital said. .
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They also turned over hours of surveillance video to police, who were still reviewing the footage after Strotman’s arrest in connection with the Nov. 10 incident.
“We appreciate the patience of the family and the public as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence related to these cases,” Henrico Police Chief Eric English said in a statement. “I would also like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our detectives who continue to comb through hundreds of hours of footage and express my sincere gratitude to Henrico Child Protective Services (Department of Welfare), the Henrico County District Attorney’s Office, the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Health and the Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in this matter.”
Charges have not been filed in Hackey’s case, but police said they are actively gathering evidence in all remaining incidents.
We can finally get some answers as to who abused our son. I wish I could say it was a happy moment when I learned of her arrest, however, when I learned the details of the other babies, the only feeling I have is sadness and regret.
Strotman is a resident of Midlothian, a suburb of Richmond, and is wanted by authorities in connection with a series of similar cases between 2023 and 2024, Henrico police said Friday – including inactive cases.
“All previously closed cases related to these incidents have been reopened,” police said in a statement. “All families involved in this wider investigation have been informed.”
Due to health care privacy laws, authorities said they could not release many additional details.
The Google Maps image shows a hospital clinic. Authorities have increased security as police say a registered nurse is responsible for at least one attack on a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit. (Google maps)
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“We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and support our colleagues who have been deeply and personally affected by this investigation,” HCA Healthcare, which owns the hospital, said in a statement. in the statement.
With possible additional reports, police are asking anyone with information contact detectives at police@henrico.gov, visit P3tips.com or call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
Court records show that Strotman’s previous run-ins with the law involved only minor traffic violations.
She was scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning in Henrico County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
As for the Hackey family, their son has since recovered from his fracture and is doing well.
“He’s a very adventurous boy,” his father said.
