Daily Mug Shots

FORT MYERS: A man is charged with brutally beating a child and dumping the infant at the hospital early Sunday morning, in an incident that uncovered a grow house operation in Fort Myers.

The assault deputies say 31-year-old Ryan Costello committed on the infant resulted in massive head trauma, broken bones and bruises.

The child, which deputies say also appeared to have been strangled, is being kept alive by a respirator at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Investigators say the baby was in Costello's custody when the child's mother and another person came home from a bar around 2 a.m.

The three got into a fight outside the home, located at 15790 Portofino Springs Boulevard #1801, according to deputies, and the other person left.

They say Costello then beat the child's mother until she pretended to be unconscious.

She told deputies Costello left the room and she noticed her baby struggling to breathe on the couch.

The woman grabbed the child and ran out of the house toward the hospital.

Deputies say Costello pulled up a few moments later and took the woman and the child to the hospital.

Investigators say Costello got out of the SUV, handed the child to a nurse and took off.

Deputies were then called to Costello's home because a 21-month-old child had been left there alone.

They found the child unharmed – and also found a marijuana grow house setup.

Whitney Simonson, 24, is charged with manufacturing marijuana, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the grow house discovery.

Deputies have not said how she is connected to the incident involving Costello.

Costello is charged with aggravated child abuse, child neglect, manufacture of marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of misdemeanor battery.

He was taken into custody Sunday night.