Daycare Workers Charged After Terrifying Toddlers With 'Scream' Mask

4 were hit with felony child abuse charges, one with misdemeanors
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 21, 2022 12:57 AM CDT

Five daycare workers have been charged for their alleged involvement in a disturbing video in which one of them wears a "Scream" mask and terrifies the toddlers in their care. Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman, and Shyenne Shelton were each hit with three counts of felony child abuse; Traci Hutson was charged with two misdemeanors, failure to report abuse and simple assault against a minor, WTVA reports. They had all previously been fired from Lil' Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, Mississippi, over the Oct. 4 incident, ABC News reports. The owner of the facility is not facing charges, and says she was not aware of the incident until it went viral on social media.

In the video, which is difficult to watch, a daycare employee is seen screaming in the faces of young children, chasing them around the room, shaking their chairs, and more. All the while, the clearly terrified children cry, scream, shake, hide, or appear to be paralyzed with fear. All five of the women charged are in their 20s, CBS News reports, and at least one aired a video apology on social media after the incident made headlines. Says the mom of one little girl, who allowed her daughter's face to be shown on media reports about the incident, "I want them to see the terror on her face because that is what I see every night." Another similar incident was allegedly recorded last month, but the daycare owner says she did not know about either video until recently. (More Mississippi stories.)

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