News 8 – Another disturbing case of child abuse is coming out of Los Angeles, California after a mother forces her three-year-old daughter to do the outdated “Kylie Jenner Challenge.” The Internet challenge that was highly popular in April, 2015 has come and gone – so we thought. Apparently, there are people out there still performing this challenge but the victims are not willing teenagers. Instead they are innocent children.
Raina Hernandes, 24, was arrested on Monday for forcing her three-year-old daughter to perform this challenge because she said her lips were “too thin” for a Hispanic girl. Her daughter, Maria Hernandes was rushed to the emergency room by her mother after the challenge had failed. When questioned by hospital staff, Raina insisted that her daughter tripped and fell resulting in a busted lip. However, her story did not match up with the circles around little Maria’s mouth which were consistent with other injuries on teenagers who were performing this lip plumping challenge.
Maria’s injury resulted in a serious bacterial infection as well as 8 stitches to her bottom lip – 3 stitches on the outside and 5 stitches on the inside. What is most shocking, is that ER Dr Timothy Murphy says this is not the first time he has seen this happen with innocent, young children. “Since April, we have treated 15 children under the age of 8. Each one of them taken from their mothers and placed in Child Protective Services custody. In Los Angeles’ toddler beauty pageant industry, mothers are going insane trying to make their daughters the cutest ones on stage. This, unfortunately, is sometimes the end result.”
Hernandes is currently being held in the Los Angeles County jail facing child endangerment charges on a $5000 bond. They have been unable to contact any immediate family, so Maria is being held in Child Protective Services custody awaiting foster care placement.