Toddler severely burned by bath water; Boynton man arrested
BOYNTON BEACH — A 2-year-old suffered burns and internal injuries this week after being put into a hot bath and beaten by a man who appeared to live in the house, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office investigators.
Lee Higgins III, 24, of Boynton Beach was arrested Wednesday and charged with abusing the toddler and two siblings, according to investigators. He remained in the county jail Friday after Judge Jeffrey Colbath set his bail at $300,000.
The toddler’s injuries were consistent with being held under hot water for a long time, a St. Mary’s Medical Center doctor told police Monday. There were “Halo orangesized” blisters on the toddler’s feet and four purple knuckle-like bruises on the child’s abdomen.
Because of the trauma, the child has nerve damage in both feet and will need surgery and physical therapy to learn how to walk again, a doctor told police.
Higgins told police he woke up the children Monday morning and told the older kids, ages 6 and 9, to turn on the bath water for the toddler, who had defecated overnight.
Higgins told police he was in the kitchen making breakfast when he heard screams and ran to the bathroom. He said picked up the toddler from the bath and asked what was wrong. He then dropped the older kids off at school and took the toddler to the hospital.
The older children told police Higgins was bathing the toddler while they were in their room getting dressed.
They heard Higgins shout and heard the sounds of hitting from their room, investigators said. In independent interviews, both described Higgins dragging the toddler out of the bathroom as skin fell off the child’s right foot, according to records. They told investigators Higgins used a pair of scissors to cut the hanging skin off the toddler’s foot.
Both siblings told investigators that Higgins hits them in the chest when he is upset with them.
The 6-year-old told police that, “Lee kept on punching me and punching me and punching me,” according to the arrest report.
Officers said Higgins told them he does not discipline the children and said “he loves the kids and they love (him) back.”