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Mother of abused baby faces charges
Published May 20, 2006
RICHWOOD — The mother of an abused 10-week-old Richwood baby who died in March now faces felony charges for not protecting her daughter from extensive injuries during her short life.
Jana Lee Knoell Traynor, 26, formerly of Richwood, was arrested Friday afternoon at an apartment in Clute shortly after a warrant was issued for her arrest, Richwood Police Chief Glenn Patton said. She is charged with injury of a child by omission, a first-degree felony. It carries the same potential penalty range as a homicide charge, he said.
“What that basically means is that she had knowledge or should have had knowledge that something was going on and that she took no steps to protect the child from the injury,” Patton said. However, he also pointed out that the charge “can cover everything from doing it and knowing about it to not doing anything about it.”
The baby, Kloey Alaine Traynor, died March 11 at Texas Children’s Hospital as a result of severe injuries, including fractured ribs and brain hemorrhaging. She initially had been taken to Brazosport Regional Health System on March 8 because she had bruises on her neck and chest and was having trouble opening her mouth.
Her father, Dustin Michael Traynor, 20, was charged the following week with injury to a child resulting in death and remains in the Brazoria County jail in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Jana Traynor was being held in the Clute jail Friday night. She had not been magistrated by a judge, so bond had not been set. Patton said he has requested it also be set at $250,000.
Dustin Traynor told police he threw the infant, who was crying, onto the bed and later shook her hard three or four times, according to a court document. He was indicted by a grand jury last month. The indictment is not a finding of guilt, only a determination enough evidence exists to proceed to trial.
The infant had three fractured ribs as well as bruises on her body and hemorrhaging of the brain and eyes, according to an autopsy summary report from the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The report also reveals a lengthy list of injuries, including 19 old rib fractures, mostly to Kloey’s back.
“The ‘old’ fractures are calloused and are probably 4-6 weeks old,” the report states. “Fractures probably caused from someone squeezing the child due to location of fractures on child’s body. Great force required causing fractures, especially for this child because newborns’ ribs are very flexible, making it difficult to actually break. All noted ribs were completely broken.”
The report shows the medical examiner also found bruising on Kloey’s chest and abdomen, the back of her head, her buttocks, elbows, an earlobe, under her jawline and along the left side of her body, plus hemorrhaging in deep tissue in muscles in her neck, back and chest.
The police have continued to investigate the case.
“This child was in constant pain,” Patton said. “We just felt like there was more to it than what met the eye because it is impossible for these type of injuries to be obtained that somebody shouldn’t be aware that they were there.”
Patton said it is not clear who is responsible for the the previous injuries. He pointed out that Dustin Traynor’s polygraph indicated he was being truthful about his actions, but Jana Traynor’s polygraph did not. Polygraph tests are used as investigative tools but are not admissible as evidence in court.
“This child suffered greatly at the hands of these folks, either directly or indirectly,” Patton said. “There are some injuries that are still questionable as to how they occurred.”
Most of the baby’s organs were harvested and donated to other children, according to the medical examiner’s report.
Kloey’s case stands as a grim reminder that anyone who suspects abuse of a child should contact authorities, said Gwen Carter, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.
“I’m sure in hindsight all those relatives think ‘What could we have done or what could we have said?” she said. “If they had contacted CPS or law enforcement, it’s another set of eyes to talk to them and observe.”
The agency has family-based workers who can work with families who need help, she said. They also can direct families to parenting classes, counseling and other services.
The agency’s child abuse hotline is (800) 252-5400 and is open 24 hours a day.
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