In a Central California community already on edge about child safety, a three‑month‑old boy is fighting through emergency surgeries after his family says a babysitter violently shook him. The infant, identified by relatives as Braxton Musselman, has had part of his skull removed and is now recovering in a hospital while investigators sort through what happened inside a home that was supposed to be a safe place.
For Braxton’s parents, the story is not just about alleged abuse, it is about a system they feel has failed to protect their son even after the worst had already happened. As they sit by his bedside, they are also watching the woman accused in the case walk free on bail, and they are trying to turn their anger and fear into a warning for other families.
The emergency call and a baby in crisis
According to investigators, the crisis started inside a Madera County home where Braxton had been left in the care of a babysitter his parents thought they could trust. On January 13, deputies with the Madera County Sheriff’s Office were called out after reports that the three‑month‑old had suffered severe trauma while in that sitter’s care, a situation later described in an online reel about Baby Braxton. By the time first responders arrived, the infant’s injuries were so serious that he had to be rushed straight to the hospital.
Authorities say the babysitter, identified in separate coverage as Tonya Hamilton, initially told a story about an accident, but investigators now allege she shook the baby, leaving him with catastrophic head injuries. A detailed account of the sheriff’s response notes that on January 13, deputies were dispatched after learning the child had suffered significant trauma, a call that would ultimately lead to Hamilton’s arrest and a community reckoning over how a routine day of child care could end with a baby in an operating room. That same account, shared through madera_uncensored_2, underscores how quickly a normal afternoon turned into a life‑or‑death emergency.
Inside the hospital: brain surgeries and a ruptured pupil
Once Braxton reached the hospital, doctors moved fast. The three‑month‑old was quickly taken into the operating room for two brain surgeries as specialists tried to relieve dangerous swelling and save his life. A broadcast segment on his case describes how surgeons warned his parents that the swelling from the bleeding was so intense it threatened his brain, forcing them to remove part of his skull to give it room, a detail shared in a video about the two brain surgeries he endured.
Family members say the damage did not stop there. In a detailed account of his injuries, relatives describe how Braxton’s pupil ruptured and how he now suffers from seizures after what they allege was violent shaking by his babysitter. One report notes that after his babysitter allegedly shook him, surgeons removed part of his skull and he was left with a ruptured pupil and seizure activity, a devastating outcome for an infant who had been healthy just hours earlier.
Parents shut out by tubes, monitors and fear
For Braxton’s parents, the medical crisis has collided with the emotional shock of not being able to comfort their own child. His father, Chris Musselman, has described the agony of watching his son lie in a hospital bed surrounded by machines, saying they have not been able to hold him for almost two weeks. In one interview, Chris put it bluntly, explaining, “We haven’t held him for almost two weeks,” a line that captures the helplessness of parents who can only stand by while nurses and doctors manage the tubes and monitors keeping their baby alive.
That sense of powerlessness is layered on top of a grim uncertainty about what comes next. In a fundraising appeal, Braxton’s family writes that they do not even know what their son will look like when he finally leaves the hospital, because surgeons may not be able to replace the missing portion of his skull right away. “So the day that he comes home, we don’t know if he will come home with a skull or without a skull,” the family explains in a plea for help with mounting medical costs they say they “cannot afford on our own,” a stark admission shared in their GoFundMe campaign.
The babysitter’s arrest, bail and a FaceTime confession
As Braxton’s medical team worked to stabilize him, detectives turned their attention to the woman who had been watching him that day. The babysitter, identified as Tonya Hamilton, was arrested in California after investigators concluded that the baby’s injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma rather than an accident. Coverage of the case notes that Hamilton was taken into custody and later released on bail, a development that has angered many in the community who learned that a California babysitter accused of harming a three‑month‑old is currently out of jail while the child remains in intensive care.
Investigators say Hamilton did more than just talk to deputies. According to a detailed criminal complaint, she allegedly FaceTimed Braxton’s parents to tell them how she hurt their son, describing injuries so severe that his pupil ruptured and surgeons had to remove half of his skull. That same account notes that she initially told them a different story before the alleged confession, a sequence that has been laid out in a report on the FaceTime call that now sits at the center of the case.
A family’s fight for recovery and a wider warning
While the criminal process moves slowly, Braxton’s recovery needs are immediate and expensive. His relatives have launched a fundraising push to cover his hospital stay, future rehabilitation and whatever long‑term care he may need. One update notes that Braxton’s family has started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses and therapy, inviting anyone who wants to support “Braxton” to contribute through the online fundraiser that has become a lifeline as bills pile up.
At the same time, the family is using their story to push for more awareness around infant abuse and the hidden risks in everyday child care arrangements. Detailed coverage of the case has highlighted how Braxton’s parents trusted a sitter who had watched him before, only to end up navigating neurosurgery consults and seizure medications for a baby who cannot speak for himself. One report on the broader situation notes that after his babysitter allegedly shook him, Braxton Musselman now faces a future shaped by brain trauma and a ruptured pupil, a reality laid out in a feature on Braxton Musselman and his parents’ warnings to others.
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