Authorities have arrested a former hospital employee who is connected to a disturbing case in which several newborn babies’ bones were mysteriously fractured at a Virginia hospital.
Henrico County deputies charged Elizabeth Ann Strotman with malicious wounding, felony child abuse, and neglect in connection to an incident that took place in November 2024. More outrage ensued after reports showed that the hospital was aware of Strotman’s behavior but kept her employed.
Her arrest comes weeks after the Henrico Doctors’ Hospital informed the public that in late November and December, staff members discovered three babies in the hospital’s NICU unit who had “unexplainable fractures.” The hospital said the discovery resembled an incident in 2023 when three babies were also found with fractures.
Hospital officials and multiple law enforcement agencies opened an investigation to learn how the injuries occurred and later identified 26-year-old Strotman as a suspect in the case.
According to NBC News, Strotman was placed on paid administrative leave for a year following the incidents in 2023 but returned to the hospital in late 2024.
A Henrico police spokesperson previously stated that the investigations into the 2023 cases had been closed but could not specify why. However, those cases were recently integrated into a fresh probe to learn who or what caused those injuries.
“Currently, the Henrico County Police Division is utilizing all available resources to ensure a thorough investigation into this matter,” the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office stated in a release. “This involves reviewing dozens of videos from inside the NICU. As previously mentioned, detectives are re-examining the 2023 and 2024 cases as part of this broader investigation.”
Noah Hackey was one of the babies who suffered a fracture in 2023. The Henrico County Department of Social Services determined that a hospital employee was responsible for Noah’s injury. However, authorities have not released whether Strotman or another staff member was the culprit behind the abuse. Strotman is only facing charges for one of the abuse incidents, which is not Noah’s case.
Noah’s parents later learned that six other infants suffered similar injuries as their son.
“We couldn’t believe it, instant anger, instant tears, because it’s not supposed to happen again; it’s not supposed to happen in the first place,” Noah’s father, Dominique Hackey, said.
Hackey believes the hospital also should be held accountable for the nurse being returned to its staff.
“If they were suspicious of some person enough to let them go, they shouldn’t have brought them back. So that’s on them. They failed. Simple,” Hackey said.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Strotman began working as a registered nurse at the Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in 2019. A spokesperson for HCA Healthcare, the company that owns the hospital, said she is now a former employee but did not say when or how her employment ended.
“We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and providing support to our colleagues who have been deeply and personally impacted by this investigation,” HCA Healthcare said in a statement. “We are grateful to those colleagues, who have dedicated their professional lives to the care and safety of our patients, as well as to law enforcement and the other agencies who have worked aggressively and tirelessly with us on this investigation.”
Authorities have not yet determined a motive and the investigation is ongoing.
“We appreciate the families’ and public’s patience as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence in connection to these cases,” Henrico Chief of Police Eric D. English said. “I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering efforts of our detectives who continue to comb through hundreds of hours of footage and extend my sincere gratitude to Henrico’s Child Protective Services (Department of Social Services), the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in this matter.”
Malicious wounding is a Class 3 felony in Virginia, punishable by a prison sentence of five to 20 years. Child abuse is a Class 4 felony and can carry a prison term of two to 10 years.
