Daycare owner arrested after allegedly tying infants to car seats for 7 hours and giving children drugs

Chris Riotta
Updated
Mesquite police launched an investigation into a daycare centre after a concerned father placed a hiden camera on his six-month-old child: Getty Images
Mesquite police launched an investigation into a daycare centre after a concerned father placed a hiden camera on his six-month-old child: Getty Images

A Texas daycare centre owner has been arrested on child endangerment charges after she was accused of keeping infants and toddlers tied to their car seats for hours.

Rebecca Anderson, 60, kept the small children tied up in car seats for at least seven hours a day at her Mesquite daycare centre, Becky’s Home Child Care, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The affidavit also alleged the daycare centre owner yanked a six-month-old child by the bib around his neck, tying laces around the young children’s necks to limit their movement.

Police launched an investigation into the daycare centre after a concerned father reportedly hid a small camera on his six-month-old child, observing the alleged abuse in its recordings and showing the footage to authorities.

The 60-year-old woman then began feeding the infant an "unknown substance using a plastic liquid syringe," according to the affidavit. Police said they believe she was providing the children with unnecessary doses of over-the-counter-medicine, like acetaminophen.

Ms Anderson reportedly told the police "she had likely given Tylenol to all of the children".

The investigations remains ongoing, with police saying the probe “is a collaborative effort between multiple agencies and care providers”.

Ms Anderson was charged Sunday night on nine counts of child endangerment with bonds totalling $45,000. She has been held at the Dallas County jail. The jail’s records list no attorney for her.

The daycare centre owner also admit to having tied “shoelace-like ligatures” around the children’s necks, according to the arrest warrant. When her home was searched on Friday, police found three children stuck in their car seats inside of a closet in her master bedroom. Meanwhile, another child was allegedly trapped in the master bedroom.

Police had to cut off several of the laces restricting the children and their movement. Ms Anderson’s charges include a $5,000 bond for each count of endangering a child.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.