Babysitter Arrested After Intentionally Scalding Toddler

Marguerite Coeyman, 23, was charged this week with aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child when police learned that she is alleged to have intentionally scalded a toddlers hand while babysitting.

The scalding was so bad that the child’s skin was peeling off their fingers. Police determined that Marguerite’s own version of events were inconsistent, leading to charges being filed.

According to reports, on May 18 Coeyman called 911 to report that the 2-year-old child she was caring for burned his hand in the shower, he was soon after transported to Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Coeyman told police that she was filling a bucket with hot water and left the child alone for a moment while she went to check on the child in the home at which point the toddler placed his hands in the scalding hot water.

According to police, the shower was dry and no bucket was found. Police also found that water does not pool in the base of the shower which means a child could not burn their hands in standing shower water. An expert also determined that the hand was a submersion burn of a non-accidental trauma.

The entire series of events raises another question, even if she didn’t intentionally burn the child’s hand, why would she leave a 2-year-old with a bucket of water, especially a scalding hot bucket of water.