An eight-month-old baby has reportedly died at the hands of a day care worker in Baltimore.
According to the Baltimore Sun, eight-month-old Reese Bowman was found unresponsive Tuesday afternoon at the Rocket Tiers Learning Center near downtown Baltimore. Emergency responders called to the daycare facility gave the baby CPR and transported her to a hospital, where she later died.
.@BaltimorePolice disclose evidence caretaker Leah Walden is charged w/murder of 8mo Reese Bowman more @ABC2NEWS pic.twitter.com/v7TfPERkbr
— Lamont Williams (@LamontfromABC2) May 25, 2017
Rocket Tiers employee Leah Walden, 23, was reportedly arrested on Thursday after surveillance footage at the daycare center showed her brutally assaulting the infant.
Col. Stanley Brandford, chief of Baltimore’s criminal investigations division, told the Baltimore Sun that the video contradicted Leah’s earlier claim that she had not hurt the baby.
Brandford told the newspaper that the video, which has not been released, shows the daycare employee covering hte baby with “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.”
“Watching that video is disturbing …Reese Bowman, in my opinion, was tortured.”
Investigators have not yet determined the specific cause of death.
The Maryland Department of Education told the Baltimore Sun that Rocket Tiers has been immediately shut down and will be inspected.
A July inspection reportedly found several violations at the daycare center, including presenting a health or safety hazard, exceeding capacity, and not fulfilling all training requirements.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Walden has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, second-degree child abuse, and reckless endangerment.
