Four people have been arrested and six children taken into protective custody following investigations of suspected severe child abuse in Hinds County.

The Department of Human Service took custody of the children, and the Jackson Police and Hinds County Sheriff’s Child Protection Taskforce investigated the unrelated cases.

Injuries to the children included a 3-month-old baby with broken ribs and a 12-year-old, who allegedly was beaten with a board.

Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Latasha Holmes said the four arrests were in three cases, while the other three cases remain under investigation.

Among the other injured children were a 10-month-old hospitalized with a fractured skull and a 2-year-old boy hospitalized with a liver laceration.

Holmes says investigating the cases can be difficult because the victims are too young to help authorities, and some parents suspected of child abuse refuse to answer police questions.