FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Supporters of Cain and Emily Layman gathered outside the Venango County Courthouse on Friday afternoon just days after the couple was charged for allegedly abusing their three-week child.
The protest was led by the Laymans who claim they been falsely accused and have the medical documents to back it up.
“We just want to show (District Attorney) Shawn White that we’re not backing down because we’re innocent,” Emily Layman told exploreVenango.com on Friday. “We’ve fought since the beginning. I have been public since before the charges were even brought to the table because my son has always dealt with these issues.”
“I am not going to back down and I won’t be quiet about this.”
Details of the Case
Charges against the Laymans, filed on Wednesday, May 4, stem from an investigation initiated by the Franklin Police Department on November 23, 2021, following a report of suspected child abuse.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office, the City of Franklin Police Department received a CYS 104 Form on November 23, 2021, regarding a three-week-old child who was at a Pittsburgh hospital with numerous physical injuries that were suspicious in nature.
According to the complaint, the three-week-old child was presented to a Pittsburgh hospital on November 22, 2021, due to vomiting blood. The child was found to allegedly have bruises on the shins and upper back. The affiant–a detective of Franklin Police Department–noted these injuries are concerning for physical abuse due to patterned-injury bruises in a non-mobile child. It was noted that the injuries allegedly caused substantial pain.
The following conditions were allegedly stated: male extreme fussiness since birth; fussy and vomiting at baseline; fussier and vomiting blood since Saturday, November 20, 2021 (two days). The exam listed the patient as “well…except bruising.” The preliminary read from the x-ray listed possible right rib fracture (healing) and left metaphyseal femur fracture–pending final read and medical workup. Per the parents, the patient was born with bruises. Per the parents, their primary care physician had previously examined the patient for bruises. The bruises on the patient’s back, per the parents, the child’s brother may have thrown a toy, and it hit the child, according to the complaint.
On November 22, 2021, when the victim child was admitted to a Pittsburgh hospital, he was diagnosed with having the following injuries:
– Healing medial posterior fractures of the right 2nd, 3rd, and 11th ribs;
– Probable metaphyseal corner fracture of the distal medial left tibia (lower leg fracture); and
– Findings concerning for healing fracture vs. anatomic variants of the distal right femur and proximal tibia bilaterally.
On November 22, 2021, the following multiple purple bruises on the victim were also documented:
– 1 cm horizontal linear bruise of the left medial lower extremity;
– (2) 1 cm vertical parallel bruises over left calf;
– 1 cm round bruise over right anterior lower extremity;
– Pinpoint petechiae of the lower lip;
– 2 cm linear bruise in the crease of left posterior neck;
– 2 irregular bruises over the superior back just distal to the neck; and
– Small round bruise over the left shoulder.
On December 7, 2021, a skeleton survey was conducted on the victim child at an Erie clinic that allegedly confirmed the victim child did, in fact, sustain the following previously-observed and newly-noted confirmed injuries:
– Progressive healing of the right 2nd, 3rd, and 11th ribs (previously known);
– Healing fractures of the left 9th and 10th ribs (new fracture);
– Healing of the previously seen left distal femur metaphysical fracture (previously known);
– Healing of the previously seen left distal tibia metaphysical fracture (previously known);
– New bone formation in the midshaft of the left fibula, suggesting a fracture (new fracture); and
– A healing left metatarsal fracture (new “torture” fracture)
According to the complaint, it had been noted that the alleged left rib fractures raise concern for injury on more than one occasion. It had been allegedly confirmed that the victim child had sustained a total of nine fractures which were in different stages of healing, and a specific date on when said fractures occurred to the victim is difficult to determine due to it taking seven to ten days for the fracture to show up on a scan. (It was noted the fractures must be in a healing state to see them on a scan.) It was also noted that the first group of fractures that the victim child had allegedly sustained was believed by medical experts to have occurred when the victim child was two weeks old, and there were at least two separate occasions of injury to the victim child.
On January 20, 2022, genetic testing was conducted on the victim child at a Pittsburgh hospital where a 33-panel gene test was conducted on the victim child to search for any potential genetic disorders. Also, on January 30, 2022, upper GI endocrinology testing was conducted on the victim child. As a result of this testing, both tests allegedly came back negative, the complaint states.
On February 21, 2022, the victim child underwent medical testing at a hospital in Chicago, Illinois, for the possibility that the victim child might have osteogenesis imperfecta “brittle bone disease.” Said testing allegedly concluded that there was no evidence that the victim child had osteogenesis imperfecta, and from an orthopedic standpoint, no additional follow-up was indicated. Also noted in the testing was that the victim child allegedly had no new acute or healing fractures or bruising since the victim child had been removed from parental care via Venango County CYS safety plan, the complaint indicates.
On December 13, 2021, a City of Franklin detective had a telephone conversation with Emily Layman who reported that “either herself or her husband Cain Layman had been present with their children the entire time that they had them, stating that no one else had access to either one of their children at any time without either herself or her husband Cain being present,” according to the complaint.
The complaint notes that both parents, Cain and Emily Layman, had been allegedly uncooperative with law enforcement, refusing to be interviewed by the detective regarding this investigation.
According to the complaint, based upon the alleged aforementioned facts and circumstances, the multiple injuries sustained to the victim child that had been medically documented, along with the medical diagnosis of doctors and geneticists from a Pittsburgh hospital, the affiant believes that probable cause exists to substantiate the following charges against both Cain Layman and Emily Layman:
– Endangering Welfare of Children — Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Aggravated Assault — Victim Less Than 6 and Defendant 18 or older, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2 (two counts)
Both Cain Layman and Emily Layman were arraigned on Wednesday, May 4, on the above-listed charges in front of Judge Kirtland.
The above-listed defendants are currently free on $20,000.00 unsecured bail each.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, at 8:30 a.m. in Venango County Central Court.
Laymans Fighting to Prove Innocence
The Laymans released documents earlier this week that they believe proves the child suffers from Metabolic Bone Disease.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Metabolic bone diseases are “disorders of bone strength usually caused by abnormalities of minerals (such as calcium or phosphorus), vitamin D, bone mass or bone structure, with osteoporosis being the most common. While bone loss does occur as a part of the normal aging process, there are many diseases, medications, and conditions that can increase the risk of bone failure. When untreated, osteoporosis can lead to fragility fractures, bone deformities, and serious disability.”
Read more about the Layman’s claims of innocence and expert testimony here.
While their case slowly crawls through the legal system, the Laymans remain focused not only on proving their innocence but also bringing awareness to the rare condition.