An Oklahoma woman is charged with child neglect after prosecutors accused her of waiting too long to seek medical attention for her severely injured baby, who later died.
Savawna Bowen, 23, was arrested on Jan. 3, almost exactly a year after her 4-month-old son died from injuries allegedly caused by his own father. The baby’s father, Daquan White, 23, has been charged with murder and child abuse.
An investigation into Bowen revealed that she allegedly knew her son was injured and required medical attention but did not seek it. Instead, she allegedly looked up various medical conditions online before bringing her baby to the hospital.
As a result, prosecutors claim the baby died on January 11, 2024.
According to an affidavit obtained by KOTV, a local CBS affiliate, Bowen left her two children, a four-month-old and a two-year-old, in White’s care while she stayed with her boyfriend. When she returned, she allegedly questioned White about a red spot on the infant’s leg.
He allegedly informed Bowen that when he lifted the baby’s leg, he heard a popping sound. According to the document, Bowen then allegedly left for an additional eight hours to spend time with friends.
When she returned, she discovered that her baby was crying in pain. White then allegedly admitted to putting his fingers inside the baby’s mouth and pushing down to stop it from crying.
The baby later had a seizure, but according to the affidavit, White allegedly told Bowen to wait to take the baby to the hospital while lying about the baby’s leg injury.
According to a KOTV report, the events described in the affidavit occurred in the following order: On January 3, 2024, Bowen looked up “popped leg.” On January 4, she searched for “baby’s femur is sticking out.” Days later, on January 7, she looked up “baby not able to move mouth” and “mouth swollen.”
She finally took the baby to the hospital on January 8. According to police, the baby died on January 11 as a result of a broken jaw, ribs, femur, and severe brain injury.
Bowen was charged with one count of felony child neglect and booked into the Tulsa County Jail. She posted a $10,000 bond.
