Parents outraged that babysitter may not face charges for allegedly beating their 1-year-old

One Oregon family's viral Facebook post begging for justice for their abused son has people raising serious questions about the legal system.

Alicia Quinney and her boyfriend, Joshua Marbury, went on a date back in March, leaving their 1-year-old son Jacob in the care of a family friend, KATU reported.

But upon returning home, the couple discovered Jacob was distraught, crying alone in his room, while the unnamed man who was supposed to be taking care of him was asleep on the couch.

The next day, Jacob has developed severe bruising in the shape of a hand print down the right side of his face.

Marbury said he and Quinney took their child to multiple doctors to examine the injury.

They also went to the police, and a 'detective said [the injury] could have killed' the infant.

Days after the incident, Marbury said he "had a confession from the abuser saying they [sic] did it."

However, more than two months after the incident, an arrest had not been made.

Marbury has since turned to social media to detail his family's ordeal, sharing these heartbreaking pictures of Jacob along with a cry for help.

"I normally keep my matters with family very private cause i dont need the attention," he wrote. "But this is different."

"After TWO months of waiting we only find out that charges are dropped BECAUSE my one year old cannot tell you verbally he was abused and my son did not show he was in pain OR that this person "intentionally" did this," he said.

According to KATV, the law he is referring to here is a ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals which makes it difficult to prove "substantial pain" in cases where the victim cannot speak.

A 2009 conviction of an Oregon babysitter was overturned by a panel of judges in 2012 because the 16-month-old child who was allegedly abused could not explain that he felt "substantial pain."

The judges ruled injuries such as bruises and minor cuts weren't enough evidence to convict an alleged abuser.

The legal interpretation makes it difficult to file charges in cases where the victim is an infant or toddler, developmentally challenged or scared to speak out against an alleged abuser, making it almost impossible to prosecute the babysitter in question under Oregon law.

Naturally, Jacob's parents refuse to stand for this.

"A dead body can't tell you who killed them. Yet a baby isn't held to the same standard because he cant talk???? Well neither can a dead body," Marbury said in his post, which has since been shared nearly 300,000 times since Friday.

A GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the family went live on Sunday to help cover their household expenses, counseling for Jacob's sister, Jaylynn, and any future attorney fees that may arise, as Marbury and Quinney intend to do whatever it takes to bring about justice for their son.

"NOBODY can just hit a child and more to just get away with it because the child can't verbally tell you," Marbury wrote.

A Change.Org petition calling for the Oregon Supreme Court to review the case has acquired more than 13,000 signatures since Sunday.

More on the disturbing story: