Woonsocket Toddler's Window Fall Under Investigation By DCYF

WOONSOCKET, RI — One month after a three-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after falling out of a third-story window, the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families is calling the case "likely" child maltreatment.

On June 5, the three-year-old boy was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after falling out of a third-story window while being watched by his grandmother. Woonsocket police said the boy was playing in a bedroom with his six-year-old sibling, who had opened the window for fresh air. The screen was open, which allowed the boy to fall out. A small porch outcropping broke the child's 29-foot fall.

At the time, police said the incident appeared to be an "unfortunate accident," and no charges were filed against the grandmother.

Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Oates said that DCYF routinely investigates incidents like this one to determine if the child was mistreated. While there is currently no criminal investigation underway, Oates said charges could be forthcoming depending on the results of the department's report.

According to DCYF, the child's family was previously known to the department. The Office of the Child Advocate has been informed of the report, DCYF said.