FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — After nearly three months of treatment in the Rehabilitation Unit at Valley Children’s, six-month-old Braxton Musselman has been released from the hospital, an emotional milestone for his family following a January incident that left him seriously injured.<\/p>\n
Applause and cheers marked the moment Braxton left the hospital, cradled in his mother’s arms, after weeks of steady progress.<\/p>\n
Despite the improvements, his parents say they are bracing for a long and uncertain recovery.<\/p>\n
“What we can expect is left-side deficits, fine motor skills, things of that nature,” said his father, Chris Musselman.<\/p>\n
The family’s ordeal began Jan. 13, when Braxton’s mother, Tori Nelson, received a call from her son’s babysitter, Tonya Hamilton, saying the infant was unresponsive. Chris said the call was devastating.<\/p>\n
“When you hear that news, it’s hard to accept and I think it’s very natural to automatically think the worst,” he said.<\/p>\n
Doctors later told the parents that Braxton’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.<\/p>\n
On March 4, the Madera County District Attorney charged Hamilton, 51, with child abuse. She later pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Madera County woman charged in alleged abuse of now 5-month-old baby<\/a><\/p>\n Asked about hearing the not guilty plea while holding her injured child, Nelson said, “I don’t know — that’s a hard one to answer.”<\/p>\n If convicted, Hamilton could face a sentence of seven years to life in prison.<\/p>\n Chris said he believes the legal process will bring accountability.<\/p>\n “She’s going to get what she deserves and those are the demons that she has to battle,” he said.<\/p>\n Hamilton had been caring for Braxton after being introduced to Nelson through a family friend. Chris said the couple trusted her at the time.<\/p>\n “It was just somebody that we thought we could trust,” he said.<\/p>\n That sense of trust, the parents say, has been deeply shaken.<\/p>\n Nelson said the experience has made the idea of leaving her son in someone else’s care especially difficult.<\/p>\n “He’s my little baby and the idea of trusting him with anybody else is hard,” she said.<\/p>\n As the family begins the next chapter of Braxton’s recovery at home, Musselman said his son’s resilience has been clear throughout the ordeal.<\/p>\n “Poor baby didn’t deserve to have to go through this, but he’s strong — that’s for sure,” he said.<\/p>\n Hamilton’s next court appearance is scheduled for May.<\/p>\n In the meantime, Braxton is expected to return to Valley Children’s in less than two weeks for a follow-up evaluation to assess his progress.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n