A day care worker has been charged with three counts of child abuse after allegedly stuffing wet wipes into toddlers’ mouths to stop them crying, with CCTV also said to show slaps
A day care worker has been accused of stuffing wet wipes into small children’s mouths to stop them crying. She has allegedly also slapped them during nappy changes in what has been reported as abuse caught on home CCTV.
Samantha Pearson, 25, who also goes by the name Samantha Bailey, has been charged with three counts of child abuse. The alleged crimes came to light after police and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) reviewed surveillance footage from June 26 of this year.
The alleged incidents happened at Pearson’s in-home day care in Moore, Oklahoma, USA. According to an affidavit filed in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, and obtained by KOCO, Pearson is accused of forcing wet wipes into the mouths of two different children while changing their diapers in June.
The children were aged three and four, the affidavit said. The affidavit claims that, in one instance, when a child tried to spit the wipe out, Pearson allegedly pushed another wipe straight back into the child’s mouth.
Investigators say the footage also showed alleged physical mistreatment, True Crimes News reported. Pearson could allegedly be seen and heard slapping the children with an open hand, and slamming them back onto the changing table when they attempted to crawl away.
Detectives also reported seeing Pearson allegedly turn a child around aggressively as they tried to move away, before slamming the youngster onto their back on the changing table. After the child was dressed, officers said they could see and hear an open-hand slap.
Records from Oklahoma DHS also indicate Pearson had not held a valid child care licence since 2025. This means she was allegedly operating the childcare service illegally from her home.
After Pearson’s arrest, parents also came forward with their own alarming accounts. Brittany Moser-Moxley, whose child attended the centre but was not listed as an alleged victim, told KWTV she removed her son after a string of concerns.
Moser-Moxley alleged Pearson left her husband in charge of the children without notifying parents. She also claimed Pearson messaged her with a terrifying update about her child, saying: “She texted me, told me my son was turning purple and blue.”
Moser-Moxley said she then pulled her son from the centre. The District 21 District Attorney’s Office said Pearson was charged on August 25 and booked into jail on a $300,000 bond (around £225,000).
Pearson reportedly remains in the Cleveland County Jail while prosecutors prepare their case.
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