A California nanny “suffocated” a 13-month-old baby boy because he would not stop crying, police say. Morian Gonzales, 20, was arrested on felony child abuse charges after a hidden camera inside the home reportedly captured the crime. The child survived the incident and is presumed to be free of any health issues as a result of the actions of the nanny.
Moriah Gonzales was hired as a babysitter for the California family via a popular child care website, Care.com. She was arrested and booked into a cell at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Livermore babysitter Moriah Gonzales appears in court to face felony child abuse charge. https://t.co/MHzAB4Hlax pic.twitter.com/jTpX8yjFwP
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) March 4, 2016
The identity family has been shielded by the police to allow them privacy after the tragedy. The same-sex parents of the baby boy allegedly smothered by his nanny have been identified only as Amanda and Nicole. The name of the biological father of the boy is not currently known.
The parents discovered the baby had been smothered during the very early morning hours on February 18, according to a Daily Mai l report. Amanda and Nicole then reportedly reviewed the video footage from the hidden camera and took the camera to the Livermore Police station.
The hidden surveillance camera was positioned in the nursery and reportedly shows Gonzales putting the infant down for a nap, but the baby was uncooperative and refused to stop crying. The video shows the child crying as the California nanny carries him around the room and then bends to lower him into his crib, KRON 4 News reports.
Livermore nanny Moriah Gonzales arrives to court to answer to child abuse charges pic.twitter.com/YoQt8Wfjv1
— Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) March 4, 2016
A police report which describes what was happening on the tape states that Moriah Gonzales put her hands closer to the baby’s face and his cries went from an easily distinguishable volume to a muffled noise.
“After a few seconds, Doe began to squirm and kick. He then went limp. Once Doe went limp, Moriah lifted him up and flung him over her shoulder in a supine position, the back of his head resting on her shoulder,” the Livermore Police Department report also stated.
When the babysitter removed her hands from the face of the baby left in her care, the crying and whimpering began once again. The police report goes on to say that the baby’s arms then extended outward in a limp motion. The California nanny then placed the baby in his crib and left the room.
Moriah Gonzales, 20, was arrested Feb. 19 after the 13-month-old boy’s parents called Livermore police when they… https://t.co/Rn3yIczim8
— Louise Hartman (@newsie1195) March 4, 2016
When the parents arrived home and looked at the hidden camera footage, they reportedly told Gonzales to leave without telling her what the surveillance camera revealed. When she was contacted by investigators about the child abuse claims, Moriah reportedly described what had occurred inside the nursery and her story did not match what was shown on the video camera.
The nanny will be arraigned later today on child abuse charges. The Care.com babysitter and nanny service released a statement about the child abuse charges after the arrest became public. The agency said it was “deeply troubled” about what had occurred.
“Our thoughts are with the family. The safety of our community is of paramount importance to us and we have proactively contacted local law enforcement to provide whatever assistance we can in this matter,” the release said.
Company representative Nancy Bushkin said that parents can purchase background checks on the babysitters offered via the online service before selecting a caregiver.
“We recommend that families purchase a background check once they have narrowed down their candidates to their top choice but they can be purchased at any time in the process,” Bushkin added.
The Care.com spokesperson also revealed that parents typically buy the backgrounds checks and seek the necessary permission from the nanny in advance because private information must be shared to conduct the security review. The babysitters also reportedly have the option of buying a background check to keep on file for viewing by their prospective employers.
The background checks typically cost about $60 for a standard review and $79 for a search, which includes both criminal records and a motor vehicle records checks. A more extensive background search reportedly costs about $300.
Moriah Gonzaels has now been removed from the list of babysitters on the Care.com website and staffers are reportedly working with police to identify other potential child abuse victims the California nanny may have cared for in the past.
[Image via Shutterstock ]
