John Jefferson
Alexandria G. Ring (Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office).
A 20-year-old pregnant mother in Indiana is accused of nearly killing her 1-year-old daughter, allegedly throwing the child because she “couldn’t handle” the baby’s crying, resulting in severe head and brain injuries that required emergency surgery.
Alexandria G. Ring was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with one count of domestic battery against a family member under age 14 and one count of neglect of a dependent, authorities announced.
While law enforcement and jail records show the defendant’s first name as “Alexandrea,” court records spell the name “Alexandria.”
According to a news release from the Evansville, Indiana, Police Department, officers at about 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, responded to a call about an unresponsive child at a residence in the 1500 block of S. Kentucky Avenue. The home is about 165 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the victim and transported her to a local hospital. Medical personnel at the hospital who examined the victim said she suffered “severe head injuries,” including cranial bleeding and swelling that required emergency surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. The staff allegedly also noted that the baby had visible bruising on her forehead and behind both of her ears as well as on her arms, stomach, and buttocks.
In a subsequent interview with detectives at police headquarters, Ring allegedly admitted to inflicting the near-fatal wounds on her daughter.
According to the release, Ring said that her daughter at about 2 p.m. that day had soiled her clothing due to a diaper that fit poorly. Ring changed the child’s diaper, and said her daughter then began to cry. Ring allegedly stated that she “couldn’t handle the crying,” adding that it “set her off.”
“Ring further described an incident in which she held the child over a Pack ‘n Play and ‘threw her in it,’” police wrote in the release. “Ring, who is 30 weeks pregnant, later altered her account, claiming that her large belly prevented her from placing the victim in the Pack ‘n Play properly, and that she accidentally dropped the child. She also explained that after lifting the victim, she sat her on the floor, where the child fell face-first into a cabinet, striking her head on a metal piece, which she claimed caused the bruising to the victim’s forehead.”
Ring also further exacerbated her daughter’s condition by failing to seek medical assistance for her daughter in a timely manner after the 2 p.m. incident, police said.
“Despite the child showing signs of lethargy and falling in and out of consciousness, Ring did not call 9-1-1 until approximately 5:23 p.m. when her boyfriend returned home from work,” the release states. “Ring contacted her boyfriend earlier to express concern about the victim’s condition but failed to seek medical help until later.”
Ring is currently being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on cash-only bond of $15,000. She has also been ordered not to have any contact with her daughter.
A judge scheduled Ring’s initial hearing for the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
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