Police say Beaufort area toddler’s ‘skin was falling off’ from bathwater burns

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a toddler burned by bathwater to a severity that the child’s “skin was falling off.” according to a police report.

Deputies were dispatched to the Burton home about 12:45 a.m. Tuesday after EMS and fire officials alerted them of the child’s injuries.

The child’s father told police he put the child to sleep on a couch in the living room. He said the toddler does not have a room, crib or playpen to sleep in.

He woke up about midnight to a phone call from the child’s mother, the report says. He told police this is when he heard the child screaming.

The toddler was found standing in the bathtub with hot water, he said.

Upon arrival, deputies found a bathtub with about 2 inches of standing water in it.

No one else was in the home at the time of the incident, the report says.

Capt. Bob Bromage said Wednesday that the case remains active.

A 2-year-old child was admitted to Hilton Head Hospital in April 2018 from blistering burns after a bath.

Derek Porter, 24, of Bluffton was arrested in February 2018 for an incident involving a 2-year-old brought to Hilton Head Hospital with second-degree burns on his feet.

Porter was charged with inflicting great bodily injury on a child. His case remains pending with the Beaufort County 14th Judicial Circuit Court.

This story was originally published January 30, 2019 at 6:36 PM.