Daycare worker accused of throwing boy on floor, killing him
In the last moments of his life, Benjamin Kingan grabbed his blankie, crawled to his favorite bouncy chair and curled up to die, authorities said.
Over the weekend, Melissa Calusinki, 22, was charged with first-degree murder and was held in jail on $5 million bail, the Chicago Tribune reported. Police said that the teacher’s assistant got so angry on Wednesday that she threw the 16-month-old boy on the floor, fracturing his skull.
The Chicago-area daycare center, attended by about 145 kids, immediately shut down, but re-opened on Monday. Minee Subee daycare has operated in Lincolnshire, a northern suburb, for at least 10 years without complaint, police said.
Here’s how the Tribune described the incident: Calusinski, who worked for Minee Subee for a year, initially told police that the boy had fallen from a chair. Police said that such a scenario didn’t match the injuries. Later in the interview, she said she lost her temper when the boy became too noisy. “She demonstrated how she held the child under his arms and slammed him down on the linoleum floor once,” said Steve Scheller, chief of felony review at the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.
The other adult in the class did not witness the incident, police said. The two women were in a classroom with eight young kids.
IM A MOTHER OF 3 AND UNDER THE AGE OF 7 AND I HAVE NEVER EVER HURTED MY KIDS, OR OTHERS THAT I HAVE BABYSAT I BEEN WITH 25 KIDS BY MY SELF AND AS NOISY AS ITS GETS ALWAYS KEPT MY COOL . HOPE THE JUDGE GIVE HER LIFE WITH OUT PAROL WHAT A CRUEL PERSON SHE LUCKY SHE IN JAIL I PROBABLY WOULD OF TAKEN HER OUT MY SELF EVEIL LADY YOU DESERVE THE DEATH SENTENCE. R.I.P BABY BOY, AND TO ALL MOTHERS PLEASE CHECK WHO COMES A ROUND WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR CHILD IN DAYCARE SEARCH,SEARCH PLEASE DONT BE A FOOL ALOT OF PEOPLE SEEM NICE BUT HALF OF THEM ARE NOT NICE AT ALL LOOK WHAT THIS LADY DID FOR NO REASON
This story makes me very sad and sick. How can people live with themselfs when they do this? I am glad i dont know this woman. I dont know what I would of done.
To think I almost enrolled my son in that school. Now I have a new set of questions for any other daycare centers I may want to enroll son. The selection and interview process for the caregivers is now top priority. I’m a proponent of the death penalty, especially for someone who chose to harm an innocent, defensless baby. Scariest story I’ve ever heard.
I am a mother of 2 and to think that i was going to put my baby in day care so that i could go back to work i think twice now that i know that a 22 year old woman could kill a baby and my daughter is the same age as that little boy.
This is the type of story that makes my blood boil. I work at a childcare center, we have thurough background checks done (I work for the military), and cameras EVERYWHERE. Parents MUST be checking in on their child. Show up unexpectedly, watch the cameras, if you have a gut feeling something is wrong, then it probably is. I have two boys myself, they both go to the center that I work at, I still check on them and report any problems I am having. If I didn’t have to take them I wouldn’t. I reccommend to ANY parent that has the option to stay home with your kids. I love my job, but sometimes there are circumstances with parents even that make me want to quit. Then I hear stories like this and realize that society needs all the great teachers they can get.
To the little one’s parents, I am deeply sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Four words:
Lisa Bonet Angel Heart (if you haven’t seen it, watch it to see how she dies)