A Fairfax County mother is behind bars after police say she is suspected of child abuse, and was reportedly caught on camera she injecting her five-year-old son with a potentially lethal substance while at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

According to investigators, search warrants allege 28-year-old Elizabeth Malone committed the heinous crime, injecting her own son with something that doctors say could have killed him.

Fairfax County police say Malone brought her five-year-old son to Inova Fairfax hospital on April 19 bleeding from mouth and trach tube. She told doctors he had been spontaneously bleeding from the mouth, nose and trach tube area.

Court documents say the tests doctors ran were normal but hospital staff became concerned. According to them, the boy was admitted seven times since February, twice for bleeding and notified Child Protective Services on April 23.

Court documents say a camera was installed in the boy's hospital room, where investigators say Malone was caught on camera removing a syringe from a medical cart, empty the contents and refilled it with an unknown substance.

It then captured her putting the syringe in the child's mouth and nose which caused him to immediately suffer a medical emergency and had to be treated by hospital staff.


Doctors at the hospital say the child could have died if he had not been treated immediately. Records say officers arrested Malone after she entered the room and found a red fluid on her and other nearby surfaces.

Malone was arrested and charged with felony child abuse, neglect, and theft. It's not clear whether additional charges will be filed. She is currently held without bond and is expected back in court later this month.