Babies Starved and Beaten, Cling To Life In Little Rock Hospital (Prayers needed)

5NEWS-Fort-Smith/Fayetteville ^ | 17 MAR 11 | Jared Broyles

[DCBryan1]

FORT SMITH, Ark. - Fort Smith investigators say a dozen dogs inside a north side home were well fed, but a baby they rescued was little more than skin and bones. Another infant showed signs of abuse.

We want to warn you that some of the photos with this story are very graphic and not appropriate for children.

Officers at the Fort Smith Police Department have seen many things, but this is one of the worst cases. Most of them have young children themselves, and this case challenged them to set their personal feelings aside and do their jobs as professionals.

“These children can't fend for themselves,” Captain Jarrard Copeland told 5NEWS.

Officers discovered two babies they say were severely neglected. One of them was grossly malnourished.

“We executed a search warrant of their home today and found 10 cans of baby formula,” Copeland said.

Twenty-year-old Angel Richard, 33-year-old Ricky Bruner, Sr. And his 21-year-old girlfriend, Melissa Workman remain in jail. It happened at a home on North 5th Street in Fort Smith.

A neighbor said he had no idea the people next door were allegedly neglecting their infant sons.

“They were some pretty friendly people they would ask me for rides to the grocery store every now and then,” Ray Flores explained.

Two month old Ricky Bruner, Jr. was extremely malnourished; his ribs were visible through his little body. His parents, Bruner and Workman are charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in the 1st degree and battery in the 1st degree. Meanwhile, two-and-a-half month old Eli Richard's brain was hemorrhaging and he's suffering from a broken arm. He also has multiple bone fractures throughout his body that are in various stages of healing. His mother Angel Richard is charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in the 1st degree and battery in the 1st degree.

The babies were taken to a local hospital to be stabilized before being sent to children's hospital.

Police became involved when an anonymous call led them to one of the moms pushing her baby in a stroller down the street. They later went to the home and found the other baby covered by a blanket and sitting in front of a heater. Ray Flores says sometimes they would come over to visit.

“They would always bring him covered so we would only see his face, and he looked ok I guess,” Flores told 5NEWS.

Officers found dog feces and urine throughout the home.

“There were also between 10 and 15 dogs inside the home who were all fat and well fed,” Copeland said shaking his head.

The captain says he has a dog and he would never let his own pet stay in that house--much less a newborn baby. There was evidence of drug use in the house according to investigators. Police say the suspects have been cooperative.

All three are currently being held in the Sebastian County Detention Center without bond.

[DCBryan1]

Urgent Prayers needed for 2 baby boys in Little Rock. Two month old Ricky Bruner, Jr. and two-and-a-half month old Eli Richard are struggling to survive at Little Rock's Children's Hospital.

They cannot seem to rebound from what Arkansas Law Enforcement is calling one of the worst abuse cases they have seen in recent memory. Prayers also needed for the Doctors and Nurses at NICU at Children's Hospital in Little Rock, AR.

I cannot tell you how I feel about the parents, it would get me a visit from the police and get me banned. Here are the pictures of the cretins:

Angel Richardis charged with Battery 2nd Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Minor 1st Degree and faces 5-20 years in prison.

Ricky Bruner, Sr. is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Minor 1st Degree and faces 10-30 years in prison.

Melissa Workman Workman is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Minor 1st Degree and faces 5-20 years in prison

Police, EMTs, Doctors, and DHS were so angered by the lack of neglect, that they released partial photos of the infants to show the gravity of the situation.

A video of the filthy home and the perps can be seen here:

5NEWS Video Report

[Grunthor]

You have to pass a test to get a license to drive but any idiot can be allowed to procreate.

[DarthVader]

The offspring of inbreeding. Absolutely pathetic.

[4yearlurker]

I hear banjo music!

[Concho]

Meth heads......castrate him and neuter the other two so that they cannot breed again.

[DCBryan1]

Arkansas Children's Hospital refused to give an updated report recently.

Last update stated that both infants are in stable, but critical condition, and the situation could change course at any moment.

2 month old Eli Richard has two broken legs, multiple bruises on his face, a hemorrahaging brain, and possibly other broken bones in different stages of healing.

The other infant, Ricky Bruner, Jr was "grossly malnourished" and possibly having organ failure(s).

[Max in Utah]

We need to bring back flogging and forced sterilization.

[SMARTY]

Starving and traumatized survivors of famine, tsunami, earthquake, etc. take better care for their own children than these animals do for theirs.

[Brownie63]

Mere words are insufficient.

[MeganC]

Dear God.

[concerned about politics]

but in critical condition

OMG. These "parents" are monsters. The culture of death we have in America today, where infants are expendable, is showing it's ugly face once again.

[kittymyrib]

Every teenager who thinks it’s “cool” to do drugs because Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen do it should see these pictures. There is no intelligence left between these three addicts. Too bad drug use doesn’t automatically lead to sterility. Drug dealers ought to incorporate birth control drugs into the poison they sell as a humanitarian gesture.

[PLD]

This just breaks my heart..The monsters are despicable..I can't tell you how I would love to get my hands on the filthy bastards..If they did not want the babies why did they not give them up for adoption there are thousands of people that would love to have a precious baby..That is one thing I can't understand why does God let animals like this have children when others that would love them can't have babies..

[TSgt]

As the father of a 4 month old boy I wrenched and turned my head in disgust when I saw the photo of the baby.

Some people need killing.

These are some people.

[DCBryan1]

My wife and I have a 6 month old. I’m still in tears...(and it takes ALOT to get me to cry).

[org.whodat]

The only thing I would give those perverts to eat is their own butchered dogs. As I have said often here, the big problems with dogs and cats in this country is the damn nuts that own them. After they get nice and fat off of the dogs I would exercise the Charlie Daniels option.

[LearsFool]

Well what did we expect? It’s legal - and encouraged - for parents to kill their unborn children, while the SPCA has its own friggin’ police force.

These folks are merely the end result of America’s dehumanization project. People are not immune to barbarity-propaganda, y’know.

This is not America’s future you’re looking at. It’s America’s present.

[sima_yi]

Where is Judge Parker when we need him?

[svcw]

I want these people to have their bones broken, starved, revived then have these bones broken again and then actually starved to death.

[Nebr FAL owner]

This judge Parker anything like Judge Roy Bean? If so then all those bast*rds would end up getting their necks stretched & rightly so.