Who Is Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman? Former Nurse Accused of Hurting Babies

A former nurse, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, was arrested on Friday and is accused of hurting several babies at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Henrico County, Virginia.

Newsweek has reached out to the Henrico Police, the hospital and the prosecutor in the case via email for comment on Sunday morning.

Why It Matters

The charges come after seven babies at the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were found with “unexplained fractures” in the summer of 2023 and more recently in November and December 2024.

According to Henrico Police, the investigation into the injuring of these babies at the hospital initially began when police were made aware of an internal investigation involving the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). All of the previously closed cases related to similar incidents in 2023 have been reopened as part of the recent broader investigation.

What To Know

Strotman, 26, of Chesterfield County, was arrested and charged on Friday as she faces charges of felony child abuse and malicious wounding, stemming from an alleged injury inflicted on an infant around November 10, 2024.

Over the course of the investigation, detectives identified Strotman as a suspect in this case, according to Henrico Police.

In addition, police say they will continue utilizing all available resources to ensure a thorough investigation into the matter as detectives will review dozens of videos inside the NICU and re-examine the 2023 and 2024 cases.

According to local news station WWBT, Strotman was put on paid administrative leave for a year after the 2023 cases of NICU abuse came to light, and then she was allowed to return in late 2024.

Strotman was terminated by the hospital on Thursday before Henrico Police arrested her.

A former nurse, Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, was arrested on Friday and is accused of hurting several babies at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Henrico County, Virginia.

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What People Are Saying

Henrico Chief of Police Eric D. English said in press release statement, “We appreciate the families’ and public’s patience as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence in connection to these cases. I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering efforts of our detectives who continue to comb through hundreds of hours of footage and extend my sincere gratitude to Henrico’s Child Protective Services (Department of Social Services), the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in this matter.”

Dominique Hackey, of Chesterfield County, whose son’s tibia was fractured while at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital told local ABC News affiliate 8News, “It makes me sick, it truly makes me sick. This person’s mentally ill and—to do that to all those families … there’s no happiness that I can feel at this point.”

Henrico’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor has not ruled out more charges telling WWBT, “This right now is one date of offense involving one child. But that is not precluding the fact that this investigation is ongoing and that we will continue to work on building cases if there is evidence present, to build other cases to find if there’s additional criminal culpability.”

A spokesperson for Henrico Doctors’ Hospital released a statement on their website, “There has been an ongoing investigation into fractures sustained by patients in our NICU, and this morning, the Henrico County Police Department arrested a former employee of the hospital in connection with that investigation. We have been assisting law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and will continue to do so. Any media questions or inquiries about that investigation should be directed to law enforcement.”

The spokesperson added: “We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and providing support to our colleagues who have been deeply and personally impacted by this investigation. We are grateful to those colleagues who have dedicated their professional lives to the care and safety of our patients, as well as to law enforcement and the other agencies who have worked aggressively and tirelessly with us on this investigation.”