MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Police arrested a Miami Gardens man Friday after investigators said he was responsible for abusing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son to the point of causing liver damage.
According to an arrest report from the Miami Gardens Police Department, the investigation into Oscar Cedell Miller, 25, began in late May after the child’s mother brought the young boy to a Fort Myers hospital.
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Just before the May 25 trip to southwest Florida to visit her parents with the children, the boy “began to complain of stomach pain,” police said.
An arrest report states that she thought it was gas and “did not think anything more of it,” however, when they arrived in Fort Myers, the boy continued to complain of stomach pain and his mother sought medical attention at a children’s hospital there.
“It was presumed the victim had gas pains or constipation issues, therefore, treatment for that began,” the report states. “The victim continued to complain of pain, which prompted further testing on the victim’s abdominal area. Medical staff discovered the victim had lacerations on his liver, which was consistent with physical trauma to the area.”
According to the report, the woman told detectives that she left Oscar to watch the children two days prior “and when she arrived home on her lunch break, the victim stated that he was scared and wanted to go with her.”
“At that time, she left the residence with all three kids. While in the car, she noticed bruising on the left side of the victim’s face,” the report states. “(The mother) asked the victim what had happened and the victim replied that Oscar had struck him in the stomach with a closed fist.”
During a May 29 interview with staff at the Children’s Advocacy Center of South Florida, police said the young boy said his “tummy needed medicine” and that Miller “stepped on my tummy with his foot.”
Police said the boy said that Miller “was being mean to him” at the time.
Authorities said they spoke with Miller on Friday and he told detectives that the 3-year-old “pooped on the floor and to discipline him, he began yelling at him, but never hit the child.”
He claimed that his girlfriend was “upset” that he had yelled at the children and proceeded to move out the next day, the report states.
Miami-Dade court records show Miller was released from jail on a $10,000 bond.