Audrain County woman charged with child abuse

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mexico, Missouri, woman was charged on Friday with child abuse and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

A warrant was issued for Lillian Ann Rotte on Friday and no bond was set. A hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Audrain County Courthouse.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim’s father told law enforcement that a custody exchange with Rotte occurred on April 19 and that the toddler victim and their sibling told him that Rotte hit the victim. The father and children met with law enforcement on April 29.

The child had “significant bruising and redness on his face,” the father said in the statement, and law enforcement saw a bruise on the child’s right eye. The victim allegedly told law enforcement that Rotte hit them in the face twice while at Rotte’s home. The sibling also allegedly told law enforcement that they saw the child get hit in the face three times.

Rotte allegedly told law enforcement that the child had injuries after they fell off of bleachers while they were with a babysitter referred to as DJ, court documents says.

DJ allegedly told police that she no longer babysits the child, but was with the new babysitter, CM, when they saw the child was injured, the statement says. Rotte allegedly told both of them that she beat the child.

CM had told law enforcement that the child did fall off bleachers, but that event allegedly occurred about a week before Rotte told them she beat the child, the statement says.

Rotte then allegedly admitted to police that she hit the child because they wouldn’t let her sleep, court documents say.