A Maryland day care worker was shown on video torturing an 8-month-old girl, who later died, said the authorities on Thursday. The worker has been charged with murder.
23-year-old Leah Walden, is charged with the murder, assault, child abuse and also for reckless endangerment in the death of Reese Bowman at the Rocket Tiers Learning Center on Tuesday, the Baltimore Police said in a statement.
"Reese Bowman, in my opinion, was tortured," said the chief of the police department's criminal investigations division,Col. Stanley Brandford.
Brandford said that the video shows Walden using "excessive blankets, which fully covered the child's head, violently snatching the child out of the crib with one arm, swinging at the baby as if she was slapping her, and placing pillows over the baby's face." Walden also walked out of the camera range several times while holding the baby girl.
Police took Walden into the custody on early Thursday. The court records of her case were not available online to show that whether she had obtained an attorney or not.
The police said that officers were called to the day care on Tuesday afternoon for a report of the baby not breathing. Medics performed the CPR on infant, who was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center and was declared dead a short time later. Brandford said that there were no obvious signs of trauma, but the detectives started a routine investigation.
Brandford said that Walden told them she has fed the baby, wrapped the girl in a blanket and put herself down for a nap. Management of the Rocket Tiers has alerted police to the video, which told a complete different story, said Brandford.
Reese was awake at that time, the other baby in same room with Walden and Reese was not hurt.
Reese's family released a statement which said they were suffering "tremendous pain" and also asking for privacy, reported the news outlets.
"Our hearts are broken. No family should ever have to experience the loss of a child under any circumstances," said the statement.
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Mrudula Duddempudi.
