MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - The woman accused of beating and scalding her special needs child made her initial court appearance in Manitowoc County Monday.
31-year-old Ruthann Gneiser is charged with felony child abuse.
Last week, Gneiser's 5-year-old son was taken to a hospital with bruises on his back and scalding burns.
Authorities indicate Gneiser told them she was angry, and repeatedly hit the boy on his back. The child has Down syndrome.
Investigators say Gneiser filled the bath tub with hot water after the child defecated in his pants, and the boy sat in the scalding water. He was taken to Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa.
“It’s a very serious case,” Jacalyn LaBre, Manitowoc County’s district attorney, told FOX 11. “We look at all the information including the information from the doctors and physicians and try to handle it as appropriately as possible.”
“She wants to get her family back together as soon as possible and I’m confident we’re going to do that,” Gneiser's attorney Richard Hahn told FOX 11.
Gneiser is due back in court on Thursday to discuss the conditions of her bond. She is currently out on a $10,000 cash bond.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).
