Whenever parents leave our kids at daycare centers or with babysitters, we do it with an extreme amount of trust that our little ones will be safe. Any violation of that trust can have heartbreaking consequences. One mom learned that the hard way after entering a daycare center to find her 1-year-old severely beaten. With the daycare workers oddly blaming another toddler for his injuries, the furious, devastated mom is left searching for answers about who really hurt her boy.
When Tiffany Griffin dropped two sons off at Kiddiegarden daycare in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Monday morning, they were both fine. But Fox 59 reports that just a few hours after leaving them, she was called back to the daycare to pick her boys up early, and when she arrived, she could hear her younger son, 1-year-old Jesse, screaming right away. The mom said as soon as she saw him, she was outraged. The 1-year-old had cuts all over his face, while his eyes, lips, and cheeks were swollen.
Griffin revealed that her 1-year-old had to be hospitalized after the incident. Doctors are still trying to figure out how severe his injuries actually are.
Griffin told Fox 59 that an unnamed 22-year-old daycare worker told her that a 2-year-old girl who attended the daycare had beat up her son. The mom admitted to being so outraged at little Jesse's condition and the woman's explanation, she punched the daycare worker.
But Kiddiegarden's owner, Haben Ghebremichael, backed up her employee's claims. She told the Associated Press that the 2-year-old girl accused of attacking Jesse had blood on her hands after the incident. She also said that while the little girl "acts out" regularly, "the extent of the injuries just blows our minds."
Griffin told Fox 59 that she doesn't buy the explanation that a 2-year-old beat her son up so severely. She said that she saw the little girl herself and thought she "was small and she didn't look like she was the violent type." Griffin also showed the 2-year-old's mother a picture of bruised, beaten Jesse and said the woman started crying and said her baby "wouldn't do anything like that."
Griffin also told Fox 59 that she was suspicious of the 22-year-old daycare worker because of her lack of action. "She didn't even call the owner. She didn't call the police, she didn't call the ambulance, she didn't call nobody," she said. "It was negligence, any way it goes. It was child abuse, any way it goes. If it was me or [his father], we would be arrested. So, I think it should be a full investigation, and they should do something about it."
Fox 59 reports that police are currently investigating the incident. While the 22-year-old daycare worker has been listed as a suspect, no one has been arrested in connection with Jesse's beating. The Associated Press revealed that Kiddiegarden closed its doors on Tuesday after receiving "harassing phone calls." Owner Haben Ghebremichael isn't sure when they'll reopen.
Ghebremichael emailed a statement to the press on Tuesday stating that Kiddiegarden has never faced allegations of abuse or neglect. She said she is "deeply saddened about what took place yesterday afternoon to Jesse" but still prides herself "on not only providing quality service to families but also providing a clean, safe and healthy environment for all of our children." While the daycare is "not at liberty to disclose any further details," they are fully cooperating with the police investigation taking place.
Tiffany Griffin, however, has been just as traumatized by the events as her son. She said that she isn't sure she'll ever be able to leave her kids in someone else's care ever again. "I couldn't protect him and I was trying to do what's best for my kids like going to the doctor, taking care of my health and going to school."
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with Jesse's medical expenses.
