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"Investigators in Wilkes County are trying to figure out what happened to a 2-year-old girl Saturday evening that injured her severely enough that she had to be airlifted to Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem.The girl was being treated at Brenner when police said her mother's boyfriend, 26-year-old Jacob Andrew Minton, of Millers Creek, attacked the child.  He's facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder.According to a warrant obtained by WXII, Minton pinched the girl's nose and covered her mouth to prevent her from breathing, thumped her head, slapped her head and jabbed his finger into her stomach.The warrant also states that the victim was being treated at the hospital for a subdural hematoma and a skull fracture that happened the night before.  The girl was listed in critical condition on Wednesday afternoon.Joyce Minton, who lives next door to the home where the victim lives, said she has no idea what happened Saturday night inside the home.  Minton is not related to the suspect.\"It still breaks my heart that she's in the hospital and not knowing whether it's going to be alright,\" Minton said.Minton said she wants to know what happened to the girl, but more importantly, she's hoping for the best.Wilkes County Sheriff Chris Shew said the investigation into the crime has been difficult on his employees.\"Anytime there\u0092s an injury involving a child it\u0092s emotionally draining. We can relate to it more because most of us are parents and have small children,\" Shew said.  \"This is one of those cases where you don\u0092t just lay it down in the afternoon and go home. You take it home with you.\"Shew said investigators have interviewed the child's mother, who isn't being named.  She hasn't been charged with a crime.  They have yet to interview Minton, Shew said.  He's being held in the Forsyth County Jail with bail set at $400,000.Winston-Salem police said the girl's mother invited Minton into the hospital room.   Hospital staff then intervened when they saw Minton assaulting the girl as she lay in bed, police said.Police said the girl's mother may have been sleeping during the attack.Shew said that even when the facts of the case become known, understanding the crime won't be easy.\u0093It\u0092s human nature to want to protect a child. No one can understand how anything like that can happen,\" he said. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wxii12.com/article/warrant-suspect-tried-to-suffocate-2-year-old-girl/2041480>