WASHINGTON — The death of a Maryland baby under her nanny’s care is part of a worrisome trend, according to Prince George’s County’s top prosecutor, who has a message for parents.
The girl is the fifth homicide of a child under a year old in the county this year, according to prosecutors.
“It’s just so heartbreaking,” State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County Angela Alsobrooks told WTOP. “It’s infuriating, and we keep hearing about it.”
Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for the Glenarden woman who was charged in the 8-month-old girl’s death. Prosecutors say the woman, who was hired as a nanny by the girl’s parents, force-fed the baby until she asphyxiated.
Statistics show domestic homicides overall are now outpacing drug homicides in the county, Alsobrooks said.
“We have to be more and more careful who we leave our kids with,” she said. “We have to check their backgrounds, make sure they are fit — psychologically fit and physically fit — to care for children.”
Alsobrooks said the child’s parents, who were at work when the alleged force-feeding happened, did the best they could. But she said she hopes other parents take pause and consider who is caring for their children.
“It has to be someone who is fit to care for them, who is licensed, who has been checked, criminal and otherwise. … We have to go straight down the list and make sure the person meets the standard of a fit individual to care for child,” she said.
