Mother, boyfriend charged with beating of 4 yr old

A mother and her boyfriend face aggravated battery charges in connection to the severe beating of the woman's 4-year-old son.

Amy Pherigo, 31, the boy's mother, and Jose A. Morales, 26, Pherigo's boyfriend, were each ordered held in lieu of $2 million bail Sunday in Cook County bond court.

A Chicago police detective arrived at the boy's home on the 4400 block of South Fairfield Avenue on April 29 to investigate an anonymous tip called in to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, according to Assistant State's Attorney Heather Kent.

The boy was found lying in bed with his eyes swollen shut and multiple facial bruises, Kent said.

He was taken to a hospital and treated for a brain injury, fractured ribs, a lacerated liver and spleen, a left cheek wound and severe facial bruising and swelling, Kent said.

He also suffered severe bruising on his arms, legs and back, as well as deep scratches to his back and left heel, she said.

The boy is believed to have sustained the injuries during March and April, according to court records.

Pherigo claimed the boy was injured when he fell down the stairs, Kent said, but medical personnel found the injuries to be inconsistent with such a fall.

A witness and sibling of the boy said Pherigo had put makeup on the boy to mask his bruises, Kent said.

Another witness saw Morales use fingernail clippers on the boy's legs, causing lacerations, according to Kent.

The boy identified Morales as the person who hit him during an interview at the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, Kent said.

Pherigo, a healthcare worker at Bridgeview Health Care Center, also made incriminating statements to a witness, according to Kent.

It is not clear if the couple lived at the South Fairfield Avenue residence where the boy was found.

Court records list Morales' home as being located on the 200 block of East Daisy Circle in Romeoville, while Pherigo's home is listed as being on the 8000 block of South Massasoit Avenue in Burbank.

Morales was arrested Friday at his Romeoville residence, according to court records.

Pherigo was arrested Friday morning at her job, court records state.

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