Toddler abused by mother and boyfriend in St. Louis Park, charges allege
A mother blamed the abuse of her 2-year-old boy on his 4-year-old sister. Police allege the mother’s boyfriend is the one who hurt her son.
MINNEAPOLIS – A two-year-old boy suffered internal bleeding in his head and several other injuries, which his mother and her boyfriend attempted to cover up, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court this week.
The boyfriend, 28-year-old Alexander Cole Houston, of Mounds View, is accused of burning the child and giving him a black eye on two separate occasions, according to the complaint signed by St. Louis Park Officer Allie Dansby and Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Evan Powell.
Houston is charged with malicious punishment of a child and neglect of a child, both gross misdemeanors.
The mother, 23-year-old Jadyn Marie Little, of St. Louis Park, is charged with contributing to the need for child protection, a gross misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint:
Authorities first learned of the alleged abuse in April 2025 after the 2-year-old’s father reported to Hennepin County Child Protection Services (CPS) that the child arrived at his home with three burn marks on his arm, a black eye and a bruise on the top of his head.
Both Little and the toddler’s 4-year-old sister told the father that Houston hit the child, he told authorities.
While an April 2025 medical examination shortly after the report determined that the injuries were indicative of child abuse and Little admitted to police that the injuries happened while the boy was in her care, the case did not move forward for another month after the 4-year-old sibling refused to sit for a forensic interview.
However, another CPS report received in May 2025 stated the 2-year-old was seen in the emergency room at St. John’s Hospital with bruising and swelling around both eyes, with his left eye swollen shut.
Little told police at that time that the child’s sister had hit him with a 15-pound toy, though the toy in question, a plastic unicorn, only weighed two pounds.
A doctor concluded that a 4-year-old child hitting her brother with the toy would not result in the injuries sustained by the 2-year-old, which were extensive bruising and bleeding between the skull and scalp.
A search warrant found that the mother deleted close to 8,000 text messages between herself and Houston, but the messages were recovered by police.
The messages, which included conversations prior to the first report of abuse, show Little telling Houston that her son “can’t have anymore marks,” suggesting that the child had suffered unreported physical assaults by Houston.
In a text exchange one week prior to the 2-year-old needing medical care in May 2025, Little threatens to call the police about the abuse, while Houston complained about his depression and how her words hurt him.
Cole’s next court date is scheduled for March 25 in front of District Judge Emily Froehle in the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility.
Comments ()