A little girl who was rushed to the hospital 15 months ago had so many bruises and scratches on her body, the specialists who treated her opted against counting them all, a doctor testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing in Stanislaus County Superior Court.
Dr. James Crawford, a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse, pointed to linear lacerations that came in clusters, and ovals about the size of a quarter, as he reviewed more than 30 photos of the child's bruises with a prosecutor from the district attorney's office.
The child had marks on her belly and buttocks, arms and legs, face and even inside her left ear. The doctor said the injuries could have come from items a detective found in the Modesto home of Terry and Chandy Indula, including a red metal broomstick that had been cut in half and a cord from a fax machine.
Some kind of blunt-force trauma to the head caused the toddler to slip into unconsciousness Nov. 11, 2006. By the time she could be transported from Doctors Medical Center in Modesto to Children's Hospital Oakland, she was not breathing and her heart had stopped.
"She was basically lying in bed on a ventilator with no spontaneous movements, which is clearly not a normal state for a nearly 4-year-old child," said Crawford, who is the medical director of the Center for Child Protection at the Bay Area hospital.
The little girl spent more than six weeks in the hospital, undergoing two surgeries in that time, the doctor said. And she has permanent bruises, which look like red and white blotches on dark skin, on the back of her thighs, the doctor said.
Doctors found similar lacerations and oval marks on the child's older sister, but her bruising was less extensive and she was treated on an outpatient basis.
The girls are referred to as Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2 in court and in legal papers.
Crawford could not pinpoint the cause of the bruises, but he said some appeared to be recent, while others were older.
Terry Indula, 27, and his wife, Chandy Indula, 28, were arrested one day after they called 911 to report that the child wasn't breathing. They face five felony charges stemming from the suspected abuse of Jane Doe No. 1, then 3 years old, and Jane Doe No. 2, then 5.
The sisters are the daughters of Terry Indula and Valerie Sanchez of San Francisco. An infant and toddler in the home, the children of Terry and Chandy Indula, were unharmed and were taken into the custody of Child Protective Services.
The preliminary hearing, which continues today, is needed so Judge Nancy Ashley can decide whether the Indulas should be held for trial on charges of torture, mayhem, inflicting great bodily injury on a child and permitting both children to suffer under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury.
The Indulas, clad in orange jumpsuits, took notes during the hearing Tuesday. They could face life sentences if they are convicted of all charges. Terry Indula remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, and Chandy Indula in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at sherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.
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