A little boy was tortured to death by his mum after he accidentally smashed her TV, it has been claimed.
Viston Stevenson was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Detroit suffering from horrific injuries on Friday.
He died the next day and his mum Rhionna Nichols, 20, was charged with his murder.
The 20-month-old toddler had suffered a fractured skull, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, internal bleeding and a swollen brain.
Nichols also faces counts of torture and first-degree child abuse.
Heartbreaking photos show Viston undergoing care, breathing through a ventilator, as he lay in hospital.
Family members have claimed he was fatally beaten by his mum after he damaged her TV.
Detroit Police Department did not confirm the circumstance around Viston’s death.
One family member said: “Y’all just don’t understand how f***ed up this is.
“He’s only one years old, he’s not suppose to have all them tubes coming out of him.”
They added: “Get your rest baby, I am so sorry that sick b**ch did that to you.”
Kenya Stevenson, one of Viston’s aunts on his father’s side of the family, told local WXYZ News: “It was quite devastating at the hospital.
“Seeing him there and not being able to hold him.”
She added: “It’s difficult to really know what to do right now just to think of the fact that I’ll never be able to hold my nephew again the same way.”
Kenya went on: “He was a very, very, very, very, very happy baby.”
His dad sat with him hospital as he laid dying – but was too upset to talk to the media.
Kenya added: “He definitely had the courage to hold his son for the last time. We sat there the whole entire time. He never left his side.
“The main thing is to pray for our strength, our peace of mind, our health, and my nephew and that he’s in a better place, and that he knows he was loved, regardless of anything.”
Neighbours said they saw Nichols being led out of her home in handcuffs.
One said: “I looked out the window, I saw the lady come out with the police.
“They patted her down and then they turned her around, put handcuffs on her and put her in the car.”
She is being held without bond and facing life in prison if found convicted.
Child abuse or child maltreatment is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver.
Child abuse may include any act or failure to act by a parent or a caregiver that results in actual or potential harm to a child, and can occur in a child’s home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with.
The immediate physical effects of abuse or neglect can be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, hemorrhage, or even death).
In some cases the physical effects are temporary; however, the pain and suffering they cause a child should not be discounted.
Rib fractures may be seen with physical abuse, and if present may increase suspicion of abuse, but are found in a small minority of children with maltreatment-related injuries.
