Leah Walden, a Baltimore daycare worker has been arrested over the death of an 8-month-old girl who died Tuesday after being assaulted. The incident occurred at a southeast Baltimore daycare facility, police said.
Walden, 23, was taken into custody and charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree child abuse and reckless endangerment.
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A personal profile of “Leah Walden” posted on the Rocket Tiers Learning Center, shows her as a “staff member,” and reads: “I have one year of professional childcare experience and six years of part time babysitting. I am currently a senior staff teacher in the Gentle Storks #2 Class and I really enjoy it. I love seeing the children develop new skills like sitting up, crawling, and walking. The best part of being an infant teacher is caring for babies who love me as much as I love them. This has been the most rewarding experience for me!”
It is not known if Walden still works at the facility. Calls to the Rocket Tiers Learning Center were not immediately returned. An answering machine said the learning center would be closed for one week (starting May 25,) to observed the upcoming “holiday.”
Police said officers responded at 3:19 p.m. Tuesday to the unit block of South High Street on a report of a baby not breathing. Medics were already on the scene performing CPR on the girl, later identified as Reese Bowman, police said. The child was taken to an area hospital, where she was declared dead, police said. Police said Walden, a caretaker of Reese at the daycare facility, assaulted the child during nap time, causing her fatal injuries. h/t
A motive is unknown at this time, but it appears that the baby was awake at the time of the assault, police said.