BLAINE, Minn. — Two women are facing a series of charges after allegedly abusing multiple infants at a daycare facility in Blaine.
Officers initially received a report of possible child abuse at the Small World Daycare Center near Paul Parkway in Blaine on July 16 from the Minneapolis Children's Hospital, according to a release.
That report detailed unexplained bruising on multiple body parts of a five-month-old infant from July 15, according to the statement.
Blaine police reviewed surveillance and observed "obvious acts of abuse" by two caretakers who were both arrested and charged with multiple felonies.
Those caretakers have been identified as 22-year-old Elizabeth Wiermerslage of Coon Rapids and 24-year-old Chloe Johnson of Blaine.
Surveillance video allegedly shows Johnson roughly handling an infant several times, including grabbing the child by her thighs and flipping her over "violently," according to the Blaine Police Department.
The footage also showed Johnson allegedly abusing two other infants, according to the department.
According to Blaine police, the first infant was bruised in 9 different areas of the body.
The daycare is cooperating with the police investigation, according to the statement.
"Although we have been forced to investigate other terrible acts of child abuse, this one is exceptionally shocking. Most parents drop their children off at day care centers believing that their child will be safe, especially since there is usually more than one care provider watching their child at any one given time. In this case, we found two workers working together with infants, both aggressively abusing children," said the statement from Blaine police.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
