This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A woman remained in Salt Lake County jail on Thursday, accused of child abuse after her baby daughter was found to have suffered numerous broken bones after purportedly being "swaddled."
Ayesha Yousuf Amir, 33, of Salt Lake City, was being held without bail following her arrest Wednesday afternoon. Police also learned that the Pakistani woman's U.S. visa had expired in March 2010, according to a probable cause statement. She was formally charged in Third District Court Thursday with five counts of child abuse, all second-degree felonies.
Police say Amir had taken her 10-week-old daughter to Primary Children's Medical Center on Wednesday to be treated for a possible broken leg. However, doctors found that injury and several others, ranging from fractures to her leg and pelvis to multiple broken ribs, all in various stages of healing, according to the criminal complaint. Doctors said the baby also had a bruise on her forehead above her nose, bruising on her chest and a bruise on her toes, according to the complaint.
Police say Amir admitted to "swaddling" — the ancient practice of wrapping an infant in cloth to restrict limb movement — "very hard and pulling [her] legs." The mother told officers that the infant had been "a lot more fussy and crying during the past two to three weeks, which is consistent with the time frame of the injuries," the probable cause statement reads.
Bob Mims