Six-Week-Old Twins Found with Broken Bones, Father Arrested

Wednesday, December 15th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Washington County authorities are investigating a suspected child abuse case involving six week-old baby twins in Dewey. Police say when a state child welfare worker went to a Dewey apartment last month, he found six week-old twins covered with bruises. One infant had two broken legs, a broken arm and broken ribs. The other had a broken arm and broken legs.

Dewey Police Chief Bill Breshears says there were other signs of neglect. "The two infants involved in this case had pacifiers being held in their mouths by a diaper tied around their heads," he said.

Records show the twins, a boy and a girl, were born October 17th and released from the hospital October 20th. The Department of Human Services was contacted on November 30th. Police say doctors believe the babies' injuries occurred in different stages, probably beginning soon after they were born.

Police arrested the babies' father, 20-year-old Regan Amster on child abuse charges.
Breshears say the children's mother, Sara Sheikh, lives with Amster but hasn't been charged. â€œI look for that probably to happen in the very near future,â€ said Breshears. â€œBut it's really going to depend on the follow up investigation that we still have left to do."

Police say the parents offered no explanation for their children's injuries. â€œJust listening to the doctors talk about it, the only explanation we know for sure is that it was not done accidentally,â€ explained Breshears. â€œIt had to be a violent force or violent trauma to cause the breaks to the bones.â€ The police chief says it's one of the worst child abuse cases he's seen. "We probably work more child abuse cases than the average person thinks we do,â€ he said. â€œChild abuse happens anywhere and everywhere."

The infants are now in foster care. Their father is in the Washington County jail.
The News on Six contacted Sarah Sheikh, but she had no comment. Amster and Sheikh have two other children who were also taken into DHS custody.