Investigators say injuries at different stages of healing point to non-accidental trauma.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Fort Lauderdale woman was arrested Sunday after detectives said her girlfriend’s young son was hospitalized in September with multiple fractures and burns. The woman, 34-year-old Deniqua Yvonne Lovett, faces a second-degree felony count of child neglect causing great bodily harm, court records show.
Authorities said the case matters now because it centers on alleged abuse over several weeks and because the child’s mother was arrested on a similar charge last month. Miramar police obtained an arrest warrant after reviewing medical records, photos, and messages that investigators say showed injuries at different times. Lovett appeared in Broward bond court this week as the child remains in the care of relatives while state child-welfare officials continue their oversight.
Detectives said the investigation began Sept. 4 when the boy was taken to Memorial Hospital West with swelling to his head and an injured elbow. He was transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, where doctors documented head abrasions, a burn to one ear, bruising to the lower abdomen, an elbow fracture, multiple rib fractures, a collarbone fracture, wrist fractures, and a knee fracture. Medical staff told police an elbow fracture appeared to have occurred two to four days before admission and noted that several injuries were in different stages of healing. An affidavit described the delay in reporting “remarkable” given the severity. In an interview with NBC 6, Lovett said she “did nothing to harm” the child and questioned why she was arrested a month after the mother.
Investigators wrote that Lovett often cared for the child while his mother, 29-year-old Veronica Ruffin of Miramar, was at work. Ruffin was arrested Nov. 24 on a similar neglect charge. According to the affidavit, Lovett told police the child fell from a slide at a playground and that she accidentally burned his ear while using a hot comb. She also said rib injuries could have come from a prior fall off a bed. A pediatric well visit on Aug. 11 documented the boy as healthy, detectives wrote. The child, whose name and age were redacted in records, also has a speech delay and expressive language disorder, which investigators noted when describing communication challenges during the hospital interview. The boy was discharged Sept. 10 and placed with his maternal aunt after a shelter hearing.
Records state that Miramar Detective Dwayne D’Haiti sought a warrant on Nov. 17 after compiling texts that Lovett allegedly sent the child’s mother: a photo of a swollen and bruised left eye on Aug. 24, an ear abrasion on Sept. 3, and video of the child crying in pain on Sept. 4. The affidavit says the mixture of healing stages across the collarbone, ribs, wrist, knee and elbow “was consistent with non-accidental trauma.” Detectives also noted prior domestic violence and battery cases associated with Lovett in court dockets. Neither a defense attorney’s statement nor a detailed response from the hospitals was available in the court file reviewed by reporters.
Lovett was booked into the Broward County Main Jail and later appeared before a judge, who set bond at $100,000. She was granted release with standard conditions and ordered to have no contact with the victim, according to courtroom proceedings. Prosecutors said their review is ongoing and that additional discovery is expected from medical providers and the Florida Department of Children and Families. Ruffin’s case remains active; no trial dates have been set. Detectives indicated more interviews and a final medical report are pending before any decision on additional charges.
Outside the courthouse, neighbors who know the family described a quiet child who liked stuffed animals and a toy giraffe; detectives noted Lovett allegedly told police she realized an arm might be “out of place” when the boy tried to grab a giraffe toy. A resident in the apartment complex said the family kept to themselves but that police were seen at the building in early September. A pediatric nurse not connected to the case, speaking generally, said multiple fractures of varying ages in small children often trigger mandatory reports and specialized exams. The child’s aunt, who has temporary custody, declined to comment through a family friend.
As of Wednesday evening, Lovett remains charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm. The boy is with relatives under state supervision. The next significant step is the filing of formal charges and a status hearing expected in January; a specific date was not immediately listed in online dockets.
Author note: Last updated December 31, 2025.