EMILIANO RAMIREZ - 4 months - Urbandale IA

A baby sitter has been charged with felony child endangerment in a case involving an infant with a brain injury.

Melissa Watts, 34, of 3000 E. Porter Ave. was arrested Tuesday. She is accused
of injuring 4-month-old Emiliano Ramirez of Urbandale.

The arrest marked the second time in a week that Des Moines police have
filed charges in a case involving brain injury to an infant. The cases
are unrelated.

On Friday, police accused Nelson Enrique Rieman, 27, of inflicting a brain injury on his 5-month-old son, Arayu Rieman.

Arayu Rieman and Emiliano Ramirez both arrived at Des Moines hospitals on Sept. 15. Both are at home recovering, police said.

Watts provided child care in her home for Emiliano, whose parents are
Jennifer Morris and Daniel Ramirez, said Detective Larry Penland.

The detective said Emiliano's grandmother, Tammy Morris, picked him up at
Watts' residence on Sept. 15 and he looked pale. She contacted her
daughter, and they took him to Blank Children's Hospital. Tests
determined there were retinal hemorrhages and bleeding of the brain.The
condition was monitored for several days. Doctors eventually had to
drill into the baby's skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

Watts is not a licensed child care provider, police said. She cared for
Emiliano and two other children, and did not need to be licensed.

Watts, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, could not be reached
for comment Wednesday. Efforts to reach Morris also were unsuccessful.

The injuries to Emiliano indicate slamming into a soft surface or shaking,
Penland said. No visible injuries were noted on the outside of the head.Rieman was charged with child endangerment following a similar investigation.

Police said Arayu was examined by a doctor for a broken collarbone in August.
Medical staff did not call police because the explanation for the
injury was reasonable, officers said.

Police began an investigation into Arayu's injuries on Sept. 15. Doctors said they
discovered bleeding on the baby's brain. Additional tests found
previous, similar injuries allegedly caused by shaking, in different
stages of healing, said Penland.