Texas Daycare Worker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Injuring Children

A daycare worker in Texas was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison after she was accused of harming multiple children while working at a daycare in McKinney. WFAA says that 45-year-old Jessica Wiese was sentenced in December after she allegedly harmed several kids, including Ariel Murphy’s son Kairo. Kairo, who is now 16 months old, is “too young to know or remember what happened to him,” but it was the abuse he and others endured that help put Wiese behind bars.

Murphy said that while her son was under the supervision of Wiese, he suffered multiple fractures to his femur, ribs, and wrist. All of it was caught on tape, which was later reviewed by Murphy. The mother told the news source that it was far too difficult to watch it all.

Aside from Murphy, several others came forward, alleging Wiese had abused their children as well which led to the former daycare worker being named in seven other abuse cases. After Wiese plead guilty to all seven cases, another 10 years were added onto the initial maximum 10-year prison sentence she received. Now, Wiese is facing a total of 20 years in prison. The news source did highlight that Wiese had filed an appeal after being convicted and the appeal was pending.

Although Murphy has said that she felt “vindicated” after Weise was sentenced, she also made it clear that she was not ready to leave the issue alone. Because the incident has caused Murphy to lose her “sense of security and basic trust in strangers,” she is pushing for a change. Not only does Murphy want lawmakers to consider creating a national care workers’ “do not hire registry,” but she is also pushing for a video monitoring mandate at all daycare facilities.

Did you know that approximately 450 children were sexually abused and 88 others died of abuse and neglect in daycare facilities in Texas over the last decade [Source: USA Today Network]?

In 2016, Shawna Diaz’s three-month-old son died after she had left him to be cared for and supervised by workers at a Houston daycare. Diaz first decided to enroll her son at Bibs and Cribs, which was a family-operated daycare center after deciding it was time for her to return to work. Because she needed help with caring for her son, she entrusted the staff members at Bibs and Cribs to assist her.

On November 2, 2016, Diaz received a call from the daycare saying there was an emergency and that her son was going to be transported to the hospital. By the time Diaz arrived at the hospital, her son was already on life support. The mother was later told that her son had gone too long without receiving oxygen which left the decision of taking him off life support up to the family. Click 2 Houston says the family decided to take him off life support.

As hard as it was for Diaz and her family to accept the loss of their baby boy, she was in need of answers but couldn’t seem to find out what had contributed to her son’s untimely death.

Autopsy Confirms the Cause of Death

On the day of the incident, daycare workers alleged that while the baby was sleeping on his stomach, they noticed a bit of blood and vomit on his nose. After the daycare director couldn’t find a pulse or breath, they called 911. Paramedics arrived and transferred the baby to the hospital. After the family made the decision to remove their 3-month-old son from life support, an autopsy was performed. The autopsy revealed that the child had died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).  In the State of Texas, child-care workers are required to place infants on their backs to sleep as this is one practice that can help prevent a child from dying from SIDS. Sadly, the daycare workers neglected to properly place Diaz’s son down to nap.

What should I do if my child suffered an injury at the expense of a daycare worker in Houston?

If your child suffered a serious or catastrophic injury while attending daycare and you believe one or more staff members are responsible for their injuries, the Houston, TX daycare injury lawyers at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC are here to help you take immediate action against the facility. When you leave your child with daycare staff members, you expect that they are going to be properly cared for and supervised. Unfortunately, there are some workers who fail to follow the guidelines that aim to keep kids safe.

As a parent of an injured child, you do have rights and it is our job to help you understand what they are. If you are ready to discuss the unfortunate incident that led to your child sustaining injuries, contact Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC to speak with one of our skilled Houston, TX daycare injury attorneys.

 

You can reach Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC at:

2 Riverway Drive #1240

Houston, TX 77056

Phone: 713-844-3750

Website: www.blizzardlaw.com