Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, a now-former nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a Virginia hospital, was arrested on January 3, 2025, and charged with malicious wounding and felony child abuse. The 26-year-old Chester County native is accused of intentionally injuring and fracturing the bones of a newborn baby in November 2024. The arrest has led to an expanding investigation, with multiple victims identified, all of whom are African American.
One of the victims, Noah Hackey, sustained an inexplicable leg fracture during his NICU stay at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. Noah and his twin brother, Micah, were born prematurely on August 25, 2023. While Micah required extended NICU care, Noah was initially healthy. When the injury occurred, the hospital attributed it to a routine injection, but this explanation raised red flags for the Hackey family.
“I was confused and heartbroken,” said Dominique Hackey, Noah’s father. “I’m a first-time parent with no medical background. You’re telling me my baby has a fracture? How did it happen? They had been scanned before and nothing showed up.” Dominique’s mother, a nursing director at another hospital, found the explanation suspect and contacted Child Protective Services, though the hospital’s investigation ultimately deemed the injury accidental.
The pattern of injuries led Henrico Doctors’ Hospital to place Strotman on paid administrative leave in 2023, during which no new injuries were reported. When she returned to work in fall 2024, at least four more cases emerged within weeks, leading to her arrest.
The investigation has now identified seven infant victims spanning two years. “Thus far, we have four babies identified from 2023 and three from 2024,” said Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, adding that families have been encouraged to come forward if they believe their children were affected.
Fox News reporter Isaiah Carey and Roland Martin’s digital news platform revealed that all identified victims are African American male infants. The racial aspect has drawn significant attention, with many questioning whether bias motivated the abuse. This troubling pattern emerges against a backdrop of stark healthcare disparities: CDC data shows Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women, and Black infants face double the mortality rate in their first year. Social media commentators and civil rights advocates have called for authorities to pursue hate crime charges in the investigation.
Despite mounting public pressure to address potential racial bias, investigators have maintained their focus on gathering evidence, reviewing surveillance footage from the November 2024 incident that prompted Strotman’s arrest, as well as hundreds of hours of additional footage that might reveal other cases. While she has only been formally charged in one case thus far, Strotman faces up to 10 years in prison for felony child abuse and up to 20 years for malicious wounding if convicted.
Strotman remains in custody without bail, with her next court appearance scheduled for March 24.
The NICU at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital is currently not accepting new patients.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/08/us/virginia-nurse-erin-strotman-arrest-cec/index.html
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/father-injured-newborn-speaks-out-virginia-nurse-faces-charges