Two Chester County, South Carolina parents are behind bars today after their 3-month-old twin babies were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries police believe were caused by abuse, according to the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.
Kentovian White, of Great Falls, S.C., and Jessica Mills, of Richburg, S.C., were arrested on February 10 and charged with two counts of inflicting great bodily injury upon a child following a child abuse investigation by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
According to the arrest warrants in the case, both the 3-month-old boy and 3-month-old girl were taken to Levine Children’s Hospital on February 8.
The boy was originally taken in with a fever and and seizure-like activity, according to the arrest warrants (see below).
At the hospital, staff discovered multiple signs of abuse on the child. He had life-threatening injuries including skull fractures, rib fractures and bleeding of the brain, according to police.
The girl was immediately taken into custody by law enforcement, who took her to the hospital, according to arrest warrants. At the hospital, medical professionals found life-threatening injuries believed to be caused by abuse.
The baby girl had cigarette burns, unexplained scratches, and adult bite marks on her body, according to police. She was bleeding from the brain and had multiple rib fractures.
Click below to see arrest warrants in the case.
The baby girl also had injuries associated with violent shaking, according to police.
“Both infants are at Levine’s Children’s Hospital,” Grant Suskin of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said in the news release. “One is currently in critical condition and the other is no longer in critical condition.”
Police found meth when they searched White as well, so he will face an additional charge of possession of meth, according to the sheriff’s office.
White and Mills are both in jail at at the Chester County Detention Center. They each face up to 40 years in prison if found guilty of the two charges.
Child Abuse in SC
The Chester County incident is the third serious child abuse case in South Carolina recently.
In January, Jerry Austin Robinson, 34, and Ariel Robinson, 29, were both charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of their 3-year-old adopted daughter Victoria Rose Smith.
Earlier this week, a Williamsburg County couple is charged with homicide by child abuse after a 9-year-old boy died.
According to SCDSS Office of Child Fatalities, more than 20 S.C. children die every year due to maltreatment by a caregiver.
In 2020, 24 children in South Carolina died due to maltreatment, and six children died because of abuse.
To report child abuse in South Carolina, please call 1-888-CARE-4-US or use this online portal.
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