A babysitter in Florida has been arrested after she allegedly struck a little girl and left “red lines” the size of an adult hand on her face.
Viviana Ortiz-Lopez has been accused of child abuse without great bodily harm in connection to the incident.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said that the girl suffered “significant bruising to the face,” according to the probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Us Weekly.
The victim’s father told deputies that his wife picked the girl up from Ortiz-Lopez’s home around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, and noticed the injuries. After the mom asked what happened, Ortiz-Lopez said that the baby inflicted the injuries on herself. Ortiz-Lopez also allegedly told the mother that she should bring mittens for the baby so she wouldn’t hurt herself in the future.
The mother brought the girl – whose age has not been revealed – back home and took photos of the injuries, and the father contacted police to report the situation.
“In the photos I observed apparent bruising along the victim’s left cheek,” cops wrote in the affidavit. “I also observed four distinct red lines which would be consistent with a slap mark. On the victim’s nose, I observed swelling and more bruising which ran to underneath her eyes.”
The mother dropped the girl off at Ortiz-Lopez’s home around 8 a.m., according to the affidavit. Deputies said that Ortiz-Lopez called the mom about five hours later and told her to come pick the girl up “due to her non-stop crying and not allowing the other children at the location to sleep.”
The defendant reportedly “sounded desperate for her to come to come get the victim.” When the mother asked Ortiz-Lopez about the bruising, police said that she continued to insist that the baby did it to herself.
The baby was new to the environment and had only started being watched by Ortiz-Lopez two days earlier after she was previously recommended by a mutual friend.
The mom called her friend after the incident, who said she took her own kids out of the daycare because she suspected Ortiz-Lopez hit the kids. The friend added that she didn’t contact cops because she was scared of the defendant, per the affidavit.
The baby was taken to the hospital and was examined by a doctor, who concluded the injuries were likely inflicted by an adult.
Deputies instructed the mother to call Ortiz-Lopez so they could listen in on the conversation, though the defendant insisted she didn’t hit the baby.
While speaking to investigators, Ortiz-Lopez allegedly made several “contradictory statements” about how the baby injured herself. Authorities also noted that she “never changed her attitude” and appeared “very calm” despite being accused of abusing the child during questioning.
Additionally, deputies noted that the size of the bruise on the baby’s face was approximately the size of Ortiz-Lopez’s hand.
Ortiz-Lopez was then arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail. It is not currently clear if she has entered a plea or retained legal representation.
