A hand-shaped bruise discovered on the two-year-old daughter of Trump-endorsed Ohio Congressman Max Miller sparked a months-long child abuse investigation that ultimately failed to determine who injured her.
X-rays taken on February 19 confirmed that the girl had suffered a broken collarbone, while doctors identified what appeared to be a handprint and thumbprint across her right shoulder, according to police records reviewed by the Washington Post.
The markings led a Cleveland doctor to believe someone may have grabbed the toddler from behind, the outlet reported.
Hospital staff alerted child welfare officials, who referred the case to police and launched parallel investigations into the possibility that the injury had been deliberately inflicted.
Detectives focused on a five-day period in which the child moved between the homes of Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but could not establish when or where the fracture occurred.
A child protection specialist initially told police the girl had been with her father when she was hurt and said it appeared at the time that the injury had been ‘inflicted by dad.’
Moreno told detectives that her daughter regularly said ‘Daddy’s angry’ and had also described her father’s home as ‘scary.’
The Daily Mail first revealed Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, publishing photos of the injuries she claimed were caused when he threw scalding water at her.
A hand-shaped bruise discovered on the 2-year-old daughter of Trump-endorsed Ohio Congressman Max Miller sparked a months-long child abuse investigation that ultimately failed to determine who injured her
The markings led a Cleveland Clinic doctor to believe someone may have grabbed the toddler from behind
Detectives focused on a five-day period in which the child moved between the homes of Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but could not establish when or where the fracture occurred
The Daily Mail first revealed Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, publishing photos of the injuries she claimed were caused when he threw scalding water at her
She also accused Miller of once holding a gun to her head while she changed their daughter’s diaper, but declined to file a complaint because she believed no one would believe her.
The child’s nanny offered another troubling detail, telling investigators that the girl consistently identified the red, angry face in a set of emotion toys as her father.
Miller denied harming his daughter and initially suggested that a car-seat strap or sudden braking by a reckless driver could have caused the bruise and fracture.
He later turned his suspicions toward Moreno, telling investigators: ‘She did it. She’s guilty.’
Investigators ruled out Miller’s car-seat theory because it did not match the bruise pattern and concluded that the injury would have required ‘a high degree of impact,’ according to the Washington Post.
Police scrutinized library footage showing the girl moving both arms shortly after leaving Miller’s home, but the report did not explain whether detectives considered the possibility that she was injured after the visit.
Child welfare officials ultimately found the abuse claim against Miller unsubstantiated, listed the suspected perpetrator as unknown and closed the case.
The abuse allegations against Miller have transformed his once-safe Ohio Republican seat into an unexpectedly competitive midterm battleground.
