ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Police and childcare regulators are investigating the alleged assault of an autistic child at his daycare this week. The entire incident was reportedly captured on video.
On Tuesday, Diona Harrold said she was concerned with how her four-year-old son looked when picking him up from his daycare on Chambers Road.
“I noticed there was a knot on my son’s forehead and a gash over his eyebrow,” she said.
Harold confronted the director after calling her mother, Cynthia Harrold, who remained on the phone.
“I can honestly say Ms. D, the director, was awesome because she actually worked with my daughter to find out what happened to him because (the director) didn’t know what happened,” Cynthia said. “She was like, ‘Let’s find out.’”
Diona described seeing on the video, “You see that her aggression is not just towards my kid; it’s toward all the kids…I guess because she’s frustrated, and she doesn’t know how to handle him or it’s too much for her. On the video, you see her hand go back in a gesture to where it’s like she swung.”
In response, FOX 2 confirmed two investigations into the center, named “A Brighter Future Childcare and Development Center, Inc.”
“The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Childhood received a complaint this week about the facility and agency personnel are investigating the allegations,” Missouri regulators said.
St. Louis County Police weighed in, saying the child was treated and released from an area hospital for his injuries. The child abuse unit is currently investigating the incident.
“(Police) met us at the hospital. They questioned me, my mom, and they tried to interview my son but as you know, he’s nonverbal,” Diona added.
The daycare director told them the center suspended two workers while it investigated.
There was no comment from the center when FOX 2 called, and it was quiet when visited in person. During the visit, an Office of Childhood inspector arrived and went inside.
Cynthia and Diona said they’ve learned more news this morning from police about Diona’s other child. A detective allegedly told Cynthia that there are a lot of things on the video that perhaps she didn’t see.
Diona said she was also made aware that workers had her daughter standing in a corner for an hour.
“I’m going to say it’s a bittersweet moment because I’m glad they figured it out, but then it’s like, dang, it’s something else added to what we already know,” she added.
FOX 2 will continue to report on what investigators find.