PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The trial has started for a Lake County mother accused of injuring her infant child in 2024.
The defendant, Megan Bayko, is charged with five counts of endangering children, all fifth-degree felonies.
She was indicted in September 2025, nearly a year after her 6-month-old daughter, Makenna Rae, was brought to UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. She weighed 12 pounds at admission.
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The child's grandmother, Jennifer Kvoriak — who is now the child's full-time caregiver — previously told us her injuries were "significant, devastating and life-long."
Kvoriak said that Makenna had to be intubated for eight days while doctors treated a head wound.
The grandmother said Makenna also had bruising and swelling on her face, broken bones and other internal injuries.
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After being released from the hospital, Makenna required mobility equipment to learn how to walk, a G-tube to eat and ongoing physical and occupational therapy, as well as in-home nursing care.
Bayko could face 25 years behind bars if convicted.
