Babysitter Under Investigation After Baby Goes Home With 3rd-Degree Burns
SACRAMENTO (CBS 13) — A Sacramento mother is in the middle of her worst nightmare. When she picked up her child from a babysitter she's known for years, the baby had severe burn wounds.
The incident happened earlier this month and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation. The mother of that child, Jazmine May, said the babysitter never called her about what happened.
The baby, Brooklyn, turned one-year-old Thursday at Shriners Hospitals, where she's been for weeks getting treated for third-degree burns that cover 12% of her body.
"Everyday my daughter is fighting for her life. It's not fair," May said.
May said when she picked up her daughter on Nov. 7, her burns were covered by diapers. She said the babysitter, a woman she has known for years, said the burns happened in the bathtub when another child turned on the hot water.
May was horrified by what the babysitter said next: "She said 'I will clean her up and bring her back tomorrow and will take care of her. My son was burned before so I know how to take care of burns.'"
May took her daughter straight to the hospital. She said the babysitter's story doesn't add up. A doctor's note about Brooklyn's injuries says they "warrant investigation."
"It's just so hurtful to see her like that on these high-dose medications that I've never taken," May said.
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CBS13 visited the babysitter's apartment to get her side of the story but got no answer.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office describes this case as sensitive and complex. A spokesperson said detectives will eventually present the case to the district attorney for possible charges.
"The saddest part about this is that had I done this myself, even accidentally, I'd be incarcerated," May said.
May, a single mom, worries about providing for baby Brooklyn and her 7-year-old sister this holiday season.
"I work hard and I do everything for my children and that's what I live for. I feel like it's all slowly being taken away from me," she said.
Brooklyn has a long road to recovery. She's set to get surgery involving skin grafts next week.
