Phila. couple charged with abuse of infant

A 20-year-old Tacony woman who is awaiting trial on charges of assaulting her 2-year-old daughter has now been charged with abusing her infant son, who was hospitalized last month with permanent brain damage, police said yesterday.

Aimee Davis and George Djukanovic, also 20 and the boy's father, were arrested late yesterday morning at their home in the 6300 block of Ditman Street, police said. Each was charged with aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, and related offenses.

Davis already is charged with aggravated assault and related offenses in the alleged beating of her daughter, Madison, last April 8, according to court records.

A police source said that after that incident, the daughter was removed from her mother's custody by the Department of Human Services, which handles child-welfare cases, but was returned by order of a Family Court judge.

Since the hospitalization of her brother, Madison has again been removed and placed in the custody of her paternal grandparents, authorities said last night. It was not clear last night whether Djukanovic is Madison's father.

On the morning of Sept. 18, medics were called to the residence and found the boy, Jaden, then 5 weeks old, unresponsive. Neighbors said they saw one of the medics emerge from the house carrying the boy, whose blue limbs dangled lifelessly.

The boy was transported to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in critical condition with bleeding on his brain, fractured ribs (old and new injuries), a broken right femur, and a broken clavicle. He remains at the hospital.

Police said the injuries were consistent with child abuse.

DHS is continuing to investigate the case, agency spokeswoman Alicia Taylor said last night.