Newborn baby allegedly abused in Henrico Doctors’ Hospital’s NICU, twin brother dies in 2023 according to parents

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Two parents spoke with 8News exclusively of their children's stay at Henrico Doctors' Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), making them the second family to speak with 8News on the record of their experience.

The parents wished to stay anonymous and have 8News refer to their children as twin one and twin two for reasons related to privacy.

The married couple had their twin boys on June 19, 2023 at 25 weeks and three days, according to their mother.

The couple said they were elated to have their children after two prior miscarriages.

"These are two angel babies, you know, because we never knew the sex of either one of the babies before," the mother said. "So, I take that as a sign that we were meant to have them, but the hospital unfortunately took that away from us, is what I feel."

The Henrico Doctors' Hospital's NICU is currently under investigation after a total of seven babies were found with 'unexplainable fractures' during 2023 and 2024.

Click here to see the full coverage of the investigation into the Henrico Doctors' Hospital NICU

However, the parents of the twins had tragedy strike before any fractures came into play; the mother had noticed something was wrong with twin two.

"He looked more sickly than his brother," she said. "[Hospital staff] were just like, oh, it's the humidity in the isolate, we're not really sure."

During the overnight hours of July 12, 2023, the parents were called to the hospital for twin two.

"He passed away in the NICU from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which is a intestinal perforation and I believe that the hospital missed that and they didn't catch it fast enough and I believe that they knew about it sooner," she said.

The twins' father explained to 8News the gut-wrenching moments when he and his wife to watch their son's final moments.

Courtesy: Mother of twins who wishes to remain anonymous.

"I think that's the first time in my life that I could say I was traumatized by something," he said. "I don't like going into hospitals and walking down an empty hallway -- I don't like it at all. Any time I do, it brings that moment back up."

The parents told 8News they did not know twin two had NEC until after he had died, as no one told them of the diagnosis.

The couple added that they didn't find out twin two had air in his abdomen until they obtained his medical records more than one year later. Meanwhile, records showed the air in the abdomen was noted days after their birth.

In less than two months of twin two's tragic passing, the parents began to see changes in the care of twin one.

The father told 8News that at first, the parents were on a good routine being able to head to the hospital after work and change twin one's diaper and bathe him, but then he and his wife became suspicious of one of the nurse's actions.

"While she was changing or she always made sure she was hovering over top of him where we couldn't like get in there or see anything," he said.

The mother then received a call in early September from a doctor at the hospital explaining there were bruises found on twin one.

"They were on the upper and lower part of his knees," the mother explained. "So it looked literally like a 'c' (the shape of the bruises) in someone like pushing down on his legs."

The next day, the mother had received a call from the same doctor who had let her know twin one had a fracture to his left wrist.

The mother was distraught when explaining this to 8News questioning how these incidents were allowed to happen.

The family says they are pursuing legal action against the hospital, but also added that Erin Strotman -- a former NICU nurse at the hospital is currently facing felony charges of child neglect and malicious wounding in connection to an incident in Nov. of 2024.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Court document reveals former Henrico Doctors’ Hospital NICU nurse seen allegedly placing pressure, weight onto baby’s legs

"We are certain there is a connection based on the information that we've gathered so far," said the family's attorney, Peter Anderson of Rawls Law Group. "There's a pattern of babies being injured from August 2023 through September of 2023 and our clients are part of this pattern.

Anderson's office is currently representing two families involved in the investigation into the hospital's NICU.

Anderson told 8News that no legal action has been taken, as he said his office does not want to move hastily, but a lawsuit is ready to be filed at any moment.

"We're waiting to hear from HCA attorneys first and we're told they have information for us and we're going to accept it with open ears and hear what their plan is for these potential claims," Anderson said.

If a lawsuit is to be filed, Anderson told 8News it would be a civil lawsuit.

"We would be able to not only gather and review documents, but also speak to witnesses that right now we might not have access to," Anderson explained. "So, filing the lawsuit opens up many avenues for investigating our case on the civil side as the criminal investigation progresses."

The family of the twins is hoping more of the families involved will speak out in hopes to bring justice to all children found with alleged abuse.

"We just hope that if there is any more families out there, that as hard as it has been for both of us, you know, and the families that can't talk about it, it will help in the long run. And if we can put away a person that did this to our kids or even find out if there are more people, that helps out a lot," the mother said.

8News has obtained a report conducted by Virginia Child Protective Services for twin one, which confirms Strotman was placed on paid administrative leave in 2023.

8News has reached out to HCA Healthcare to find out when exactly Strotman was placed on leave, when was she allowed to return back to work and when was she terminated.

This is a developing story. Stick with 8News for updates.