Anari Osmond, 23, got a text at work November 12 that made her stomach drop. The message came from the owner of J&A Nursery in Newark, New Jersey, who had been caring for her 6-month-old daughter, Zuri, for just over a month, and it sounded urgent. In fact, she reportedly wanted Ormond to give her a call as soon as she got on her lunch break. The story that Ormond said she was first told is enough to make any parent concerned for her child — but the story she learned after arriving at the day care center was even more disturbing.
Ormond was initially told that Zuri had been left āunattended" around a 2-year-old boy for a period of time, and there had been an incident.
She was allegedly first told that the toddler had bitten her daughter on the stomach — not once, not twice, but three times, resulting in large red welts across the infant's skin.
Once she arrived at the day care center, however, Ormond saw that her daughter's injuries extended far beyond a few concerning stomach welts.
Zuri's face was red, bruised, swollen, and scratched, and there was something wrong with her right foot.
It was only then that another story began to unravel — one that would leave Ormond "heartbroken."
"[The owner] started to get frantic. She started crying," the mother told ABC7 about the day care owner, who has not been named publicly.Ā
Ormond listened as the woman explained how she went to fetch Neosporin while carrying Zuri, and suddenly fell down the stairs with the baby. Zuri had acquired the other injuries in the process.
āI was shocked and heartbroken,ā Ormond told People. ā[Zuri] was just sitting there. She wasnāt laughing or smiling."
Panicked, Ormond scooped up her daughter, and rushed her to St. Barnabas Hospital, where doctors had a closer look.
A CT scan revealed Zuri had a minor concussion, though there was fortunately no further head trauma or internal bleeding.Ā
āOn the X-ray, nothing showed up and they did an X-ray of her leg, but couldnāt see any fractures but that may have been because her bones are so tiny,ā Ormond said.Ā
The mother was handed a prescription for an antibiotic and sent home — thankful her daughter wasn't suffering from more severe injuries, but rattled that any of this had happened in the first place.Ā
Instead of driving home, though, Ormond drove straight to the police station.
Once there, Ormond filed a report with the Newark Police Department, and had photos taken of her daughter's injuries.
The case is being investigated by the Newark Police Departmentās Prosecutorās Office, Special Victims Unit and Child Protective Services.Ā
Although J&A Nursery continues to remain open, Ormond believes it should be shut down immediately. It's since been found to be running without a day care license, though New Jersey, day care centers are not obligated to obtain a license so long asĀ theyĀ doĀ not care forĀ five or moreĀ children younger than 13,Ā NJ.comĀ reported.
āIāve been trying to call the state and this breaks my heart too and they have no record and the city of Newark has no record of her business," Ormond said, according to CBS 2.
In a recent Instagram post about the incident, Ormond admitted that the entire ordeal has left her frustrated and emotional.Ā
"I literally canāt sleep or eat and probably wonāt until my daughter receives justice in the form of charges," she wrote.
