Extreme Child Abuse from Daycare Owner; 26 Kids Found Behind False Wall

January 6th, 2020 by Thomas J. Henry

A Colorado preschool and daycare owner, Carla Faith, was accused by authorities of major child neglect and abuse within her childcare facilities, including placing 26 neglected children behind a false wall.

Details of the Colorado Child Abuse Incident

According to CBS News, a six week investigation led to the shocking discovery of Faith, owner of Play Mountain Place, stowing children behind a false wall in her home.

Serious investigations of Faith’s home began after arising issues of her having too many children in her care. The ratios of parents to children in a childcare setting must not exceed 10 children (ages 3-4) for every one adult in Colorado.

Housing a much higher number of children than this, the Colorado Springs police force were drawn to the home mid-November to assess the wellness of the kids. Officers were able to recognize faint voices from children once in Faith’s home and eventually discovered a fake wall hiding the kids.

Amongst 26 kids, all under the age of 3, were 2 adults inside a hidden basement. The children were unharmed but dehydrated, sweating, and wearing dirty attire and diapers. Ultimately, Faith’s daycare was immediately shut down along with her preschool.

Christina Swauger, Katelynne Nelson and Valerie Fresquez were also charged with child abuse and arrested for affiliation with Faith. About two dozen preschool teachers were left without a job following the closing of the preschool.

The Colorado Department of Human Services revealed Faith had prior childcare settings that were closed for similar charges.

Daycare Abuse Statistics

According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, more than 3.5 million reports from CPS agencies were received in 2013 alone.

1. The majority of these reports dealt with neglect, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and medical neglect trailing closely behind.
2. In 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,700 fatalities resulting from child maltreatment, marking a 7 percent increase from the 1,589 reported fatalities in 2015.
3. A 2005 report states that 47.3 percent of all abused kids were male, while 50.7 percent were female.
4. The age group most likely to be abused is children between the birth and 3 years of age.
5. The same report states that 49.7 percent of all child abuse victims were white, 23.1 percent were African-American, and 17.4 percent were Hispanic. American Indians accounted for 1.2 percent of abused children, while Asian-Pacific Islanders accounted for less than 1 percent of victims.

Contact an Experienced Child Injury Attorney

If your child has been injured after an accident or abuse at a daycare center, contact Thomas J. Henry. Parents put their trust in the staff of a daycare facility to keep their children safe and out of harm’s way. It is unacceptable for a child to be subjected to abuse or an unsafe premises while in their care. If your child was seriously injured due to the negligence or abusive actions of daycare staff, call our experienced child injury attorneys today. Thomas J. Henry has the legal and financial resources necessary to develop your child’s case properly. Call for a free case review.