A former neonatal intensive care nurse at a Michigan children’s hospital is facing serious child abuse charges after a premature 4-month-old baby girl in his care was discovered with multiple broken bones, extensive bruising and a tongue that had turned “blue and almost black.”
Kieran L. Ansley, 43, was fired from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids following the allegations and has since been charged with four counts of child abuse.
The disturbing case dates back to the overnight hours of April 2 into April 3.
The baby had been born extremely premature at just 23 weeks in November 2025, weighing only 1 pound, 1 ounce. After months in the NICU, her family says she had made remarkable progress and was just days away from finally going home.
Then her mother arrived at the hospital the next morning and immediately realized something was wrong.
According to court records, the mother noticed her daughter’s tongue was discolored and nearly black. When the baby was removed from her swaddle, she also saw bruises that had not been there the night before.
Doctors began testing the infant to determine whether an underlying medical condition could explain the injuries.
Instead, a skeletal survey revealed multiple fractures, including injuries to both tibias, the left fibula and a femur. Bruising was documented on the baby’s hands, arms, abdomen, buttocks, thigh and tongue.
Court documents state that the overall findings resulted in a diagnosis of pediatric physical abuse.
Investigators then began reconstructing what happened during the overnight shift.
Hospital access records reportedly showed 32 entries into the baby’s room between roughly 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Ansley was recorded entering the room 27 times.
The remaining five visits involved other nurses who, combined, spent only about four minutes inside, according to reporting on the court documents. Those logs establish room access, but do not by themselves show what occurred during any individual visit.
Other hospital staff also described concerns about Ansley’s behavior.
According to court records, nurses told investigators they had previously seen him behaving in ways they considered aggressive or frantic with patients. One colleague allegedly described him as appearing “heated,” “overwhelmed” and “in over his head” during the shift in question.
Another detail cited in court records raised additional questions.
When the baby’s parents arrived the following morning, Ansley allegedly moved quickly toward them before they reached the room and told them the infant had slept through the night. Investigators said records showed a 2 a.m. care session had been documented despite Ansley allegedly saying he skipped it because the baby was sleeping.
A warrant was issued earlier this month.
Ansley now faces two felony counts of second-degree child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree child abuse. Each second-degree charge can carry a sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.
He is currently free on bond and is required to wear an electronic tether, according to local reporting.
His attorney, Damian Nunzio, said Ansley has cooperated with investigators and emphasized that the allegations remain unproven.
“My client has had many years working with ICU patients, and he’s a very good person,” Nunzio said, adding that the defense intends to conduct its own investigation.
Corewell Health, which operates Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, said Ansley is no longer employed there.
“Our hearts go out to the patient and the patient’s family,” the health system said in a statement, adding that it has “zero tolerance for abuse” and is cooperating with police.
There is at least one hopeful development.
The baby, now about 10 months old, is home with her family in Caledonia and reportedly doing well.
Her grandfather, Robert Steavens, called her recovery “absolutely amazing.”
For the family, the timing makes the allegations especially difficult to comprehend.
After surviving an extremely premature birth and spending months fighting to get healthy enough to leave the hospital, the child was allegedly injured just two days before she was expected to finally go home.
