A Kentucky daycare worker has been charged with first-degree criminal abuse after allegedly pulling a large patch of hair from a 16-month-old boy’s scalp, leaving a 6-centimeter bald spot.
Keshia Cochran, 24, was caught on CCTV at The Play Zone in Leitchfield, Kentucky, approaching the toddler as he played, then grabbing his head and pulling out a substantial amount of hair, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Lexington Herald Leader.
Cochran allegedly told the child, ironically, “We don’t pull hair,” after the incident. The footage reportedly shows Cochran casually walking to a trash bin and discarding the hair while the boy cried and screamed.
The toddler was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment following the incident on Tuesday.
In a police interview the next day, Cochran admitted to intentionally yanking the boy’s hair. Her motive remains unclear, and it was not immediately known if the child was acting up before the incident.
Cochran’s mugshot, released by the Leitchfield Police Department, shows her wearing her hair in a high bun and a gray shirt while staring blankly. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
Leitchfield is located approximately 75 miles southwest of Louisville.
The incident follows another disturbing case from over two years ago, when a day care worker in Forsyth, Illinois, killed a seven-week-old infant who wouldn’t stop crying. The worker reportedly Googled “shaken baby syndrome” before waiting more than three hours to call 911. The child died from blunt force trauma to the head, and the worker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving a 14-year prison sentence
