Child abuse victim may lose foot

A 7-year-old girl taken to a Camden hospital Thursday may lose her foot, Sumter County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Ken Bell said Sunday.

The woman who took her to the hospital and claims to be her grandmother was arrested Friday by SCSO officers and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. Medical personnel told investigators the girl's burn injury happened before Tuesday, when the woman, the girl and a 9-year-old boy arrived in the Sumter area.

Investigators have since learned that Jaqueline Raysor, 55, who moved here with the children from Louisiana, has previously faced child abuse charges in both Louisiana and Mississippi.

The injured girl is being treated at Palmetto Children’s Hospital in Columbia for her injuries, which are said to include an “immerse burn” to the girl's foot, such as would be suffered from having it immersed in scalding water, SCSO reported. The child also reportedly showed signs of having been beaten with various bruises and other marks on her body. She was listed in “guarded” condition and being treated with heavy antibiotics in hopes of saving her foot, Bell said Saturday. He added Sunday there was

still a chance the foot may require amputation and local authorities were following the situation closely.

Both children have been taken into protective custody.

Investigators are also working with Louisiana authorities to confirm Raysor’s relationship to the children and whether she actually has legal custody as she claims.

Since the burn incident did not happen in South Carolina, Raysor could be facing charges from out of state.

This incident began when Raysor took the 7-year-old female to the KershawHealth Medical Center in Camden for treatment Thursday night. The hospital notified Kershaw authorities when they suspected child abuse, who then notified the SCSO.

The woman claims to be the children’s grandmother and said her own daughter, the children’s mother, is deceased. She reportedly came to Sumter to reunite with the children’s grandfather.

Sumter authorities had grounds to charge the woman because she admitted moving to Sumter on Tuesday although she did not seek medical treatment for the child until Thursday night.

Charges could be upgraded if the child’s injuries prove to be more severe than first indicated. Other charges could also be forthcoming.