You step into a story that asks how a routine hospital visit turned into a criminal investigation. Staff at Nationwide Children’s Hospital say a mother injected a visible foreign substance into her infant’s IV, and authorities have charged Tiffany Marie Lesueur with endangering a child after the hospital reported the incident and police reviewed surveillance and staff accounts. That allegation sparked an immediate criminal probe and protective steps for the child.
As you follow this post, it will trace what hospital staff reported, how investigators responded, and the legal actions now underway against Lesueur. The next sections break down the timeline of events at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the charges and court moves that followed.
What Happened at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Staff at Nationwide Children’s Hospital say a mother allegedly injected a foreign substance into her infant’s IV while the child received treatment. Hospital personnel notified police and took immediate steps to protect the patient and gather evidence.
Timeline of Alleged IV Tampering
Hospital records show staff first raised concerns about the child’s safety on Feb. 6 and told police the mother would be monitored during visits. Two days later, on Feb. 8, hospital staff observed the mother enter a bathroom carrying a cup and then leave with residue that staff believed was fecal matter.
Shortly after, clinicians and security watched the mother use a syringe at the child’s bedside and reportedly inject the substance into the IV line on the top left hand. Staff detained the mother at the hospital and called Columbus police, who filed a criminal complaint charging the woman with child endangerment. Court filings list an arraignment and a bond hearing in Franklin County Municipal Court.
Hospital Staff Response and Safety Measures
Nurses and hospital security moved to protect the infant immediately after the alleged injection. Clinical teams flushed and treated the IV line to reduce infection risk and monitored the child for signs of bacteremia or other complications.
Hospital security alerted the Physical Abuse Unit within Columbus police and kept the mother under supervision pending law enforcement arrival. Nationwide Children’s Hospital notified detectives and complied with investigative procedures while maintaining patient privacy under federal law. Staff also increased observation for future visits and restricted unsupervised access to the child.
Surveillance Footage and Evidence
Staff reviewed video surveillance that reportedly captured the mother entering the restroom with a cup and later returning with material that appeared to be human waste. The footage, combined with staff observations and the syringe found at the scene, formed the basis of the criminal complaint.
Detectives interviewed hospital personnel and collected the syringe and any relevant IV tubing as physical evidence. Police and hospital investigators treated the surveillance review and chain-of-custody documentation as central to proving alleged tampering in court. For more details on the criminal complaint and reporting, see coverage from the Columbus Dispatch.
Legal Proceedings Against Tiffany Marie Lesueur
Tiffany Marie Lesueur faces formal criminal allegations after hospital staff reported observing her inject a foreign substance into her infant’s IV. Court filings, police actions, and bond decisions have moved the case quickly into the Franklin County system.
Charges and the Criminal Complaint
Lesueur is charged with child endangerment, a third-degree felony listed in the criminal complaint filed by Columbus police. The complaint alleges she used a syringe to inject what hospital staff believed was human feces into her baby’s IV at Nationwide Children’s Hospital on Feb. 8.
The document cites surveillance review, staff eyewitness accounts, and hospital treatment of the infant after the alleged injection. The charge carries potential felony penalties and has prompted detectives to treat the incident as an attempted poisoning and serious endangerment of a minor.
Franklin County Court Hearings and Bond
Lesueur was arraigned in Franklin County Municipal Court on Feb. 9. A judge ordered her held in the county jail on a $250,000 bond, reflecting the seriousness of the child endangerment charge and concerns about public safety or flight risk.
Court records show a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Feb. 19 in the municipal court; further proceedings could transfer the case to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas if prosecutors pursue an indictment or more serious charges.
Conditions set by the court include no unsupervised contact with minors and stay-away orders from the child, as noted in the arraignment and subsequent filings.
Role of Columbus Police and Specialized Units
Columbus police initiated the criminal complaint after Nationwide Children’s Hospital staff notified officers and reviewed video evidence. Detectives from the Domestic Violence Unit and the Physical Abuse Unit responded to the hospital and interviewed hospital staff.
Those specialized units documented the hospital’s observations, collected evidence, and detained Lesueur at the hospital. Their investigative work established the basis for the felony charge and informed the prosecutor’s decision to seek substantial bond and expedited court action.
Relevant reporting on the case appears in coverage by The Columbus Dispatch and local broadcasters, which filed court and police details for public record. For more reporting on the criminal complaint and court actions, see coverage at The Columbus Dispatch.
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