OLYPHANT, Pa. -- A man is locked up in Lackawanna County accused of fracturing the skull of his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter.
Olyphant police charged Daniel Villa of Scranton on Tuesday for putting the child in the hospital last week.
A picture shows what Ciyanna Cortaza, 2, of Olyphant looked like a week ago.
Two other pictures show what the little girl looks like now as she was left hospitalized last Thursday after Olyphant police say Villa assaulted the child.
Her grandfather, Curtis Cortazar, spoke to us by Facetime.
“It's beyond comprehension, you can't wrap your mind around why someone would do this to a sweet little girl, a defenseless little baby,” said Curtis.
Police say Villa is the mother's boyfriend, and the attack happened inside apartment 21 on Kimberly Circle in Olyphant the evening of December 26, while Villa and the child were the only ones in the home.
“My daughter was at work when this happened,” said Curtis. “She came home and saw a big knot on her daughter's head and took her directly to the hospital, and he was the only one with the baby.”
The baby is now at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville with a skull fracture and spinal injury.
“She has to undergo months of treatment. We're not sure the long-term effects of what's going to happen to her,” said Curtis.
Now Villa is facing counts of aggravated and simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
Investigators say Villa was arraigned on those charges at the Lackawanna County Courthouse. He was taken directly to the Lackawanna County Prison afterward.
“It's been a long couple days, wondering if he's going to be charged, wondering if he's going to turn himself in,” said Curtis. “So, I'm very happy that he's incarcerated, it takes a lot of stress off my family. I hope that justice is going to be served fully, and I hope he gets the harshest sentence available.”
Villa is locked up on $250,000 bail.
His next court date is January 7, 2020.