A family in Las Vegas claims a former employee at their child’s day care assaulted their son, causing injuries and requiring expensive medical treatment. Karina Castillo worked at the Crème de la Crème Learning Center child care facility when the alleged incident occurred in September. Police began investigating Castillo, who reportedly didn’t want to talk.
After obtaining legal representation, Castillo surrendered to police on October 24. She faces charges of child abuse and neglect stemming from the accusation.
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The mother picked up her son from Crème de la Crème on September 5.
Upon arrival around 4 p.m., the mother reportedly noticed an injury on her young son’s mouth, KLAS reported. She claimed he had blood on his lip that Castillo was reportedly wiping off.
The mother told police that Castillo allegedly told her that the child fell after standing on a toy crib and said, “They didn’t call you?”
The following day, the mother saw something strange about her son’s teeth.
She took him to the dentist, who said he would need to have the teeth removed to prevent “infection and damage,” according to a police report obtained by KLAS. The mother returned to the day care to speak with the director, who allegedly wrote up Castillo for “not paying attention to the children,” the report noted.
The director reviewed the video of the incident and realized there was more to it.
According to the police report, Crème de la Crème’s director, who initially thought the incident was typical because children fall often, watched video of what happened and was shocked. The video reportedly showed the victim standing on a toy crib over a bookshelf.
Per the police report, Castillo allegedly “violently” pulled the bookshelf away from the child, which caused the boy to fall and hurt his mouth. Castillo reportedly lied to the director about what happened and was terminated, KLAS reported.
The mother has apparently had other issues with Crème de la Crème.
She told police her son enrolled in the program in May 2023 and had multiple incidents during that time. She claimed he once came home with “soiled pants” and had been bitten by other children.
He reportedly had another incident with a fall, injuring his mouth in July. The family’s dentist told them the tooth’s gray appearance was due to “trauma.”
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Police reportedly reached out to Castillo on October 12.
Detectives called her in mid-October, and she allegedly didn’t want to talk to them. Her family advised her to obtain an attorney before talking with police. On October 14, the lawyer contacted police and said his client would turn herself in within the next 10 days.
Castillo turned herself in and now faces child abuse and neglect charges, according to KLAS. Her next court appearance is Nov. 28.
