PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The aunt of a 1 year-old boy who was nearly beaten to death is speaking out about the incident for the first time.
Shane Voswinkel is charged with aggravated battery on a child in connection to the incident.
"Technically he died," said Amanda Sockwell, the toddler's aunt. "He died that day and they had to revive him."
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Voswinkel was alone watching the toddler while the child's mother worked. Investigators say Voswinkel was not the child's biological father, but had taken on the father role after moving in with the toddler's mother.
Sockwell and the child's mother are twin sister's. She says she saw her nephew about 30 minutes before deputies arrived at the home.
"He never raised his voice or anything to make us think he would ever hurt him. He would let him call him daddy and stuff!" said Sockwell.
On April 4th, investigators say Voswinkel ran to his next door neighbor, carrying the limp toddler. He allegedly told the neighbor the child had suffered a seizure.
"She told me that he came over there and tried to hand the baby to her!, said Sockwell.
She thinks Voswinkel may have been trying to escape.
"I think he thought he killed him, and he was trying to leave," said Sockwell.
Investigators say the toddler had bruises all over his body. A doctor said an MRI revealed an injury "like his neck was snapped."
"I think he like picked him up by his head and threw him into his crib. That's what I think," said Sockwell.
According to investigators, this was the second time the toddler ended up in the hospital unconscious. Sockwell says Voswinkel was alone with the toddler on both occasions.
"They're trying to go after my sister over it when she had no idea what was going on," said Sockwell.
Sockwell says she doesn't think she can forgive the man accused of putting the toddler in intensive care.
"I hope he rots, I hope he rots in there. (expletive) you," said Sockwell.
