New details emerge in case against pediatric nurse accused of poisoning daughter

Investigators are saying the alleged abuse of a 4-year-old girl who suffered a brain injury from high sodium levels could have started as early as 2011.

The child's mother, Katie Alice Ripstra, 31, of northwest Harris County, was charged with felony injury to a child April 8. Investigators believe Ripstra, a former pediatric nurse at Texas Childrens Hospital, used a feeding tube to introduce high levels of liquid sodium into her daughters system in the summer of 2013, said said Lt. Ruben Diaz of the HCSO Criminal Investigations Bureau.

While in the hospital, the child would be just fine and then when the child was released back to the parent it wouldnt take long until the child would be returned ill again, said Diaz. These cases are really hard to prove because they can go undetected for years.

According to court documents, the child was admitted to the hospital at least five times with high sodium levels from March to August 2013.

On Aug. 6, the child returned to the hospital unconscious and suffering from hypovelimic shock from extremely high sodium levels a day after being discharged from the hospital.

As a result of the high sodium levels, the child suffered a brain injury. The child recovered after treatment that included three days in an intensive care unit.

At that time, pediatric child abuse specialist took interest in the case and alerted authorities. The child was taken into CPS custody and has been staying with a new caretaker since Sept. 2013.

The child is doing OK now. The child is not in the mothers care and is thriving, he said. The only thing wrong with the child now is regular childhood ailments.

The officer does not know if the childs brain injury is long-term.

"I have children of my own. I have grandchildren of my own. It's horrible," Diaz said. "We expect parents to be the safeguards of their children."

View original post here:
New details emerge in case against pediatric nurse accused of poisoning daughter