Overview
- Police and child-welfare officials were alerted on July 15 after a pediatrician examined a 9‑day‑old with bruising and marks on the face and reported suspected abuse.
- According to a probable cause affidavit, 18‑year‑old Kaden Manuel Lewis Shrum told family and investigators at the hospital that he began “nibbling” the infant’s cheek, then repeatedly bit it, and said the baby looked like a “busted up egg.”
- Investigators matched the infant’s injuries to Shrum’s account and arrested him on a felony charge of battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under 14.
- Shrum was booked in Monroe County, later posted bond and was released; a jury trial on the child‑abuse charge is scheduled for January 11, 2027, and he faces separate pending battery-related charges in other cases.
- Reports do not specify how Shrum is related to the infant, the child-protection inquiry is active, and the case underscores that medical professionals routinely must report suspected abuse to trigger police and Department of Child Services reviews.