An Arizona mother is horrified after her 15-month-old daughter returned from daycare with at least 25 bite marks on her back, and she claims nobody has taken action for more than two months. Former Marine Alice Martin says she found the injuries after collecting her toddler Rosalynn from Creative Beginnings Preschool in Tucson on February 26.
Martin told KOLD News 13 that she noticed the large red bumps while changing her daughter's clothes at home. 'It's stomach-turning. It feels both angry and sad at the same time,' she said. The Tucson Police Department Officer Raymond Smith said the bites appear to be from another child, and the Child Physical Abuse Unit is investigating. No charges or arrests have been made.
Martin filed a police report for negligence and notified the Arizona Department of Health Services, which handles daycare accreditation. 'Neither department contacted me with updates,' she said in a Facebook post. 'They did not even call when it occurred, or notify me when I picked her up after work. All of these bites happened in one day.'
Martin, whose husband Justin is also a former Marine, believes it is 'very unlikely' the daycare will face repercussions. She questioned whether children were left alone or staff disregarded cries. 'A child getting bitten that many times would be crying and very upset,' she said. The Arizona Department of Health Services declined to comment on pending investigations.
This incident follows another case this week where a 15-month-old returned home with bite marks from a different daycare in Maricopa. Creative Beginnings Preschool, part of an international organisation and state-accredited, did not respond to requests for comment.
