Babysitter arrested after shaking 4-month-old baby, police say

Las Vegas police arrested a babysitter Wednesday after she admitted to shaking a four-month-old baby.

Priscyla Dominguez, 35, has been charged with child abuse after she was feeding the baby on Aug. 7 when she noticed he was not breathing and turning purple, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report. Dominguez told police she then ran outside for help, when she tripped and fell with the baby in her arms.

A neighbor then found her and the baby and called 911.

The baby was taken to Sunrise Hospital with a brain bleed, according to the report.

On Aug. 12, Dominguez told police in a follow-up interview at the hospital that she did not fall on top of the baby or drop him, but admitted that when she noticed the baby turning purple she shook him to get a reaction from him before running outside.

The report said a Sunrise Hospital doctor later told police after reviewing the baby’s CT scan that he believed the baby’s injuries were from being shaken and not from Dominguez’ fall because the scan did not show a scalp injury or head swelling, which would have appeared after a fall.

A separate brain hemorrhage was detected on the CT scan that appeared to be about two weeks old, which would not have been related to Dominguez’ fall, the doctor told police.

In another follow-up interview with Dominguez on Wednesday before her arrest, she again confessed to shaking the baby out of panic when he started turning purple, the report said.

Police said after they told Dominguez that the baby’s injuries appeared to be due to shaking and not a fall, she said she was responsible for the baby’s shaking-related injuries, but that she did not intend to hurt the baby and only wanted to help, police said.

Dominguez is due in court on Sept. 20.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.