PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A 26-year-old Florahome woman has been arrested after investigators say her infant suffered life-threatening medical neglect that required emergency hospitalization.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, detectives arrested Jodie Danielle Cannon on Tuesday, July 21, after physicians determined the infant’s condition was the result of medical neglect.
The investigation began July 7 after a Florida Department of Children and Families caseworker requested emergency medical assistance to evaluate the child because of significant weight loss and a severe diaper rash.
Authorities said Cannon was asked before rescue personnel arrived if she wanted to take the infant to a doctor, but she refused. When emergency responders arrived, they requested that Cannon not accompany the child to the hospital because of concerns about possible neglect.
At the hospital, doctors found the infant had a dangerously low heart rate, low body temperature and critically low body weight. Medical staff determined that without immediate intervention, the child could have died.
Investigators said the infant’s weight had dropped below the fifth percentile.
According to detectives, Cannon told investigators the infant was not eating and that a pediatrician had previously advised her to switch formulas. She said the pediatrician’s office had been closed and acknowledged the child had not been seen by a doctor despite the continued weight loss.
Following an evaluation by physicians in the pediatric intensive care unit, investigators obtained an arrest warrant charging Cannon with aggravated child neglect causing great bodily harm and child neglect.
Cannon was booked into the Putnam County Jail, where her bond was set at $35,000.
The infant was released from the hospital into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families and is expected to recover.