Police: Infant Dies After Being ‘Tortured’ By Daycare Worker

CBS Baltimore ^ | May 25, 2017 | By Rick Ritter

[Impala64ssa]

Police have arrested a 23-year-old daycare worker accused of assaulting an 8-month-old girl during nap time, which resulted in her death. One police official says in his opinion, the victim was “tortured.”

Leah Walden faces numerous charges, including first and second-degree murder, in the death of Reese Bowman.

“It’s giving me cold chills now to even think about it,” said Tim Barth, who watched first responders arrive.

According to police, Walden is seen on video snatching Bowman by one arm several times, as well as placing pillows over her face.

“As a parent you send your child to daycare because you think it’s going to be safe for them,” Shelley Veasey said.

Police say Bowman died on May 23, after officers were called to the Rocket Tiers Learning Center located on South High Street for a report of a baby not breathing.

“Reese Bowman in my opinion was tortured,” said Col. Stanley Branford of Baltimore Police. “Just evil, what motive could you possibly have to treat a baby that way.”

Responding officers found medics performing CPR on an 8-month-old girl, later identified as Bowman.

“You would never think that someone would do something as evil as that because that’s an 8-month-old baby, innocent, that baby was innocent,” one person said.

Bowman was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Police say there were no obvious signs of “trauma or injuries” to Bowman at that time.

Police immediately began investigating, and spoke with Walden, a caretaker at Rocket Tiers. She told police that she fed Bowman, wrapped her up in a blanket, and placed her in a crib for a nap.

When she returned about 45 minutes later, she said she noticed Bowman was not breathing and contact authorities.

The daycare facility has cameras throughout the center, and investigators began going through the video. The owner of the facility notified police on Wednesday that they had discovered some “disturbing” video.

Police say the video shows Walden putting excessive blankets on Bowman, which covered her head, before snatching Bowman out of the crib by one arm several times, swinging at Bowman as if she were slapping her, then placing pillows over her face.

Walden also walked off camera with Bowman several times, and police say they “can only assume” what Walden may have done off camera.

“It was really sad, they were running back and forth into daycare center. They rushed her as quick as they could into the ambulance. They had her covered up but her little feet were hanging out. It was so sad,” Veasey said.

Police say they do not know why Walden assaulted Bowman, but it appears that Bowman was awake during the assault.

According to police, there have been no previous formal complaints against this daycare facility.

Walden’s bio remained on their website which says “the best part of being a teacher is caring for babies who love me as much as I love them.”

Police say Walden had been working at the daycare for more than 2 years.

The Maryland Department of Education says they put Rocket Tiers under an emergency suspension and a spokesman says they can’t reopen unless a judge allows them to.

According to the Baltimore Sun in July an inspection cited the daycare for six violations. As of September, only four violations were corrected.

Daycare employees are required to undergo criminal background checks. It will take some time to verify whether Walden ever passed hers.

The Bowman Family released the following statement:

“Our family is suffering tremendous pain and wishes to grieve in private. Our hearts are broken. No family should ever have to experience the loss of a child under any circumstances. We await further information from the unfolding investigation.”

Police say Walden did not have a prior record and there doesn’t appear to be other victims but they’re urging parents who are suspicious to call the child abuse center at 443-984-7378.

[snarkytart]

Probably. Why would you drop your baby off with a woman looking like that? Just a thug look.

[Jim Noble]

“As a parent you send your child to daycare because you think it’s going to be safe for them,” Shelley Veasey said.

No, that's not WHY you send your child to the care of a stranger for money.

[DoughtyOne]

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Just $794.00 to 63.00%

[shhrubbery!]

Do shutup you reactionary pretentious windbag. Its a dual income society now. This is a 1 and 100 million case. Go back to your Amazon rain forest tribe and raise your kids how you want.

Guilty, much?

It's the truth. Clearly you're uncomfortable enough with it to go immediately for an emotional ad hominem.

Btw, I did raise my several children "how I wanted." They're all grown up now. All productive citizens. No substance abuse, no tattoos, no unemployment, no "gender" confusion, no debilitating psychological problems from being dumped in daycare.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Mothers with infants should stay at home with them and not leave them to the care of stangers.

[SamAdams76]

Any parent who leaves a child in the "care" of what is essentially a stranger, is either terribly naive, or complicit in neglect of the child.

That's rather judgmental.

And you sound just like a liberal arguing for gun control. "If just one life could be saved..."

Fact is, this is a one in a million occurrence like another poster here said. Probably more than a one in a million chance. More kids probably die in their own homes than in a day care.

Not that I'm a big fan of day care. Having a stay at home mother is preferable. But that's just not practical for a lot of families.

[tjd1454]

You are evil like the parent-less society you propose, where precious children are “raised” by strangers who care nothing for them. Go to Hell!

[Doogle]

POS should be fed to pigs

[Hammerhead]

complete freaking clueless idiot....

Me reactionary first? read your post you pretentious know it all.

You have some nerve calling 10s of millions of working parents irresponsible for sending their children to day care and/or pre school.

Our children had wonderful educational experiences in day care and preschool.

[acoulterfan]

Emergency Suspension?!?!?!

[tjd1454]

Yes this is common sense. Babies need their mommies (or, if circumstances demand, their daddies).

[Hammerhead]

lol.

Evil....lol.

there are left wing nuts just like self-righteous right wing religious nuts like yourself.

Both cult like zealots, both just as dangerous.

Go back to your dirt farm.

[shhrubbery!]

Having a stay at home mother is preferable. But that's just not practical for a lot of families.

The 60s feminists (actually Marxists) convinced a lot of Americans of this, sadly.

Having a stay at home mother (or other very close, loving relative) is not just preferable – it is essential to the baby's future well-being.

Why do you think we have so many "lost children" today? Drug-addicted, depressed, unemployable, suicidal. Well into their 20s, 30s and even 40s.

Very often the reason is that these young people never bonded appropriately with their parents when they were small children. This can cause psychological damage for a lifetime.

[tjd1454]

Amen! The voice of truth!

[Hammerhead]

Come tell my grown children and entire extend family how EVIL I am.

STFU nutter.

[EinNYC]

O my dear G-d. How could anyone treat a precious little baby this way? Just yesterday, while I and an older neighbor were outside admiring my garden, my next door neighbor handed me her 3 month old daughter to watch and asked the other neighbor to watch her 22 month old daughter while Mom found parking for the car. I was overcome with tenderness holding that adorable 3 month old girl resting comfortably in my arms. I could NOT help cuddling her and kissing her silky little head, murmuring loving words, rewarded by her little smile.

How could this psychopath savage offer violence and death to a helpless little one? And how could this day care center have neglected to vet her a lot more carefully?

A fitting consequence of her actions would be to toss her into an industrial food mixer. Pigs gotta eat, too.

[doorgunner69]

There you go, the baby was white:

Had it coming in the name of social justice............

[trisham]

Agreed.

[SamAdams76]

Day care or not, it comes down to the parents. Some stay at home moms just ignore their kids and watch daytime television all day, not really caring what their kids are up to. Other moms who might work a day job are really invested in their kids and spend a lot of quality time with them outside of work.

[tjd1454]

You are lying. Do you forget how your precious children cried out to you not to be abandoned in some nameless, faceless daycare?