The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Top Stories

August 3, 2012

Judge orders mother kept from seeing injured girl

The mother of a critically injured 18-month-old girl has yet to be taken into custody on charges that she endangered the life of her daughter and hindered efforts to locate her alleged abuser.

Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said about noon today that Gina L. Salazar, 22, is believed to be in Kansas City, where her daughter, Ada Bowman, remains in critical condition at Children’s Hospital. But a judge has ordered that she is not to be allowed in to see the child at the hospital, the sheriff said.

“We’ve been talking to her (by phone),” Copeland said. “She’s aware that charges have been filed and she’s agreed to come turn herself in.”

Salazar’s boyfriend, Bryant L. Sykes Jr., 24, remains in custody on charges of first-degree assault. He is suspected of having caused the girl’s injuries on Tuesday while she and her brother and sister, ages 3 and 2, were left in his care at their home in a mobile home park outside Joplin.

The girl reportedly suffered bleeding on both sides of her brain as well as injuries to her liver, spleen and ribs. Her two siblings were removed from the mother’s care and placed in protective custody early in the investigation.

 

Text Only
Top Stories
Facebook
Poll

President Barack Obama recently made a decision to arm the rebels in Syria's civil war, in which nearly 100,000 people have been killed. Do you support the decision to arm the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime?

A. Yes.
B. No.
     View Results
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
NDN Video
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29 Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy