A 20-year-old Minnesota man will spend more than a decade in prison after doctors discovered his three-month-old twin sons had a combined 60 broken bones — injuries so severe that one child nearly died and both face lasting developmental damage.
Dylan Raymond Strain, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault with great bodily harm. A judge sentenced him to just under 16 years in prison.
The case began in January 2025 when the twin boys were rushed to the hospital. One infant was found with seizures, dangerously low oxygen levels, bleeding on the brain, and 46 fractures in various stages of healing — meaning the abuse had been going on for some time. Doctors said the injuries posed a significant risk of death.
The second boy had a laceration beneath his tongue, rib and clavicle fractures, and hemorrhaging under his eyes that may lead to permanent vision loss. He had 14 fractures. Investigators determined the injuries were the result of deliberate child abuse — none of them could have been accidental.
The boys’ grandmother was the first to alert police. She told detectives she had repeatedly witnessed troubling behavior from Strain, including an incident where he jammed a bottle too hard into one baby’s mouth, splitting the child’s tongue. She also saw him screaming at both infants and discovered a hole punched into the wall of the twins’ room.
When confronted, Strain told the grandmother he was a “bad dad” and that he “can’t handle this.” In his police interview, he admitted he was the “likely cause” of the twins’ injuries, saying he had been “lackluster” with his patience and that the sound of a baby crying made him lose control. He also admitted to squeezing the boys too tightly.
The twins’ mother told investigators that injuries to the boys only occurred when Strain was caring for them. Text messages between the couple confirmed he had repeatedly admitted he struggled when left alone with the children.
Strain has remained in the Ramsey County Jail since his arrest. He will serve his sentence following formal commitment.
