A former neonatal intensive care nurse in Michigan is free on bond after being accused of abusing a premature infant under his care.
Kieran Ansley, 43, faces four counts of child abuse after police say a four-month-old girl was discovered with a series of serious injuries while being treated in the NICU at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. Court records obtained by local NBC affiliate WOOD show the baby was born four months early in November 2025 and had been expected to leave the hospital in April 2026. Police say that when her parents came to visit that April, her mother noticed bruising on the infant and saw that her tongue had turned “blue and almost black.”
Court records state that when the parents showed up for their visit at 6:30 a.m. on April 3, Ansley — the nurse on duty — “got up from his seat and ‘jogged’ to cut them off before getting to the room.”
Police say the couple had seen their daughter the night before and noticed no bruising at that time. When they questioned Ansley about what they were seeing, he reportedly told them the baby had simply “slept through the night” and that the change in her tongue’s color was “not a big deal.”
Hospital staff told investigators that an examination of the baby turned up multiple fractures in both legs along with bruising across much of her body. Court documents indicate medical testing pointed to physical abuse once other possible medical explanations had been ruled out.
The baby’s grandfather, Robert Steavens, told WOOD that his granddaughter had actually been due to go home two days before the injuries were discovered. On the day the injuries were found, she was reportedly being readied for surgery.
According to the court filings, investigators interviewed other hospital staff who had cared for the infant or worked alongside Ansley. Several described him as “scatterbrained,” “overwhelmed” and “in over his head.” One colleague said that on the night in question, Ansley “seemed flustered and a little bit frustrated with his assignment.”
Police noted that Ansley had not previously been assigned to this particular baby. Local ABC affiliate WZZM, citing court documents, reported that he turned down offers of help from coworkers while on duty that night. Several nurses who had worked with him also said he tended to handle infants more roughly than they did.
Corewell Health, which runs the hospital, confirmed to both WOOD and WZZM that Ansley is no longer employed there and said the organization is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
Ansley was arrested earlier this month and has since been released on bond, required to wear an electronic monitor. He’s due back in court on Nov. 3. Speaking to WOOD, his attorney, Damian Nunzio, described his client as a “good person” with “many years” of nursing experience who is fully cooperating with authorities.
Steavens told WOOD that his granddaughter, now 10 months old, has since made a full recovery and is “doing wonderful” at home with her family.
