A three-month-old boy has been left with severe brain injuries and a dented skull after his babysitter allegedly shook him so hard one of his pupils ruptured. 

Tonya Hamilton, 50, has been arrested for felony child abuse after the infant in her care, Braxton Musselman, was found unresponsive in Madera, central California.  

Madera County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a medical aid call involving the baby, who was rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery on his head. 

Hamilton allegedly called the child’s parents via FaceTime and told them she fell on the boy and smushed him.  

However, medics found that the child’s injuries were not consistent with any type of fall, the sheriff’s office said, and Hamilton was detained shortly afterwards. 

A fundraiser launched by Braxton’s parents, Chris and Tori, says he suffered ‘a severe brain injury and a ruptured pupil’. 

‘The brain injury required two brain surgeries with over 300 milliliters of blood needing to be drained,’ their GoFundMe page reads. 

‘The brain injury and swelling is so severe they’ve had to remove the right half of his skull to take pressure off.

Three-month-old boy Braxton Musselman (pictured) has been left with severe brain injuries and a dented skull after his babysitter allegedly shook him so hard one of his pupils ruptured

A fundraiser launched by Braxton’s heartbroken parents, Chris and Tori, says he suffered ‘a severe brain injury and a ruptured pupil’. (Pictured: Braxton with his parents in the hospital)

Tonya Hamilton (pictured in her driving license image), 50, has been arrested for felony child abuse after the infant in her care was found unresponsive in Madera, central California

‘After over a week of fighting in the ICU, he has since had his breathing tube removed and has been removed from sedation. 

‘The injuries have required him to be on multiple anti-seizure meds, and he originally had no use or movement of his left side due to the damage of the right side brain. 

‘He has since regained very minimal movement to the left extremities.’

The heartbroken couple said they received a FaceTime call from Hamilton on January 13. 

‘We were initially told by her that she had fallen on him and woke up and he was unresponsive at that time,’ Musselman told NBC and CBS affiliates KSEE and KFPE in a joint television interview. 

However, a doctor told the couple a different story, according to Musselman. 

‘He explained to us that his injuries weren’t consistent with a fall… they were consistent with a baby that had been shaken,’ the traumatized father said. 

‘At that point he had no other choice as a mandatory reporter to involve CPS and involve the authorities.’

Madera County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a medical aid call involving baby Braxton (pictured) who was rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery on his head

Medics at the California hospital found that the child’s injuries were not consistent with any type of fall, the sheriff’s office said, and Hamilton was detained shortly afterwards

In light of the tragic case, Madera County Sheriff’s Office issued an urgent warning. 

‘Shaking a baby, even for a few seconds, can cause permanent brain injury or death,’ the office said on social media. 

‘If you are feeling overwhelmed, place the baby in a safe location and step away. Ask for help. There is never an excuse for shaking a child.

‘If you suspect child abuse, report it. Your call could save a life.’ 

The GoFundMe page for Braxton’s family has so far raised almost $45,000 to cover his medical treatments and recovery.  

‘Braxton is a beautiful, sweet baby who deserves every opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive despite what has happened to him,’ his parents wrote on the page. 

‘Your support – whether it’s a donation, sharing this page, or just sending prayers – means more to us than words can express.’