SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — A nanny in Snohomish County is accused of severely abusing a 5-month-old baby, giving him seizures and brain hemorrhages.
According to court documents obtained by KIRO 7—the baby’s family says the abuse was caught on cameras placed inside the child’s bedroom and their living room—which the nanny knew were there.
In September, the parents reportedly found Amber Rath on Care.com, a website that connects families with local caregivers.
The documents state that after a few interviews, the family hired Rath to watch their son several days a week.
The family told investigators that up until mid-October, Rath was communicating daily with them about what a happy and easy baby they had.
On Oct. 16, documents state she told the family that the baby was more ‘clingy’ than usual and that he was grumpy.
The documents go on to say that a later review of the living room camera showed her sitting the boy on her lap and repeatedly slamming him onto her legs.
“As time progresses, it was evident that the defendant was becoming more and more frustrated,” the documents read.
The next day, documents state that Rath can be heard on video talking with the baby’s mother about adjusting his sleep schedule to keep him from getting cranky.
About three to four hours later, video in the living room reportedly shows Rath holding the child under his armpits and throwing the baby onto the couch with such “sufficient force that a loud thud is heard when he impacted the couch.”
Just before 10 a.m. documents state she called 911 to report the baby had stopped breathing.
First responders told investigators the child was “struggling to breathe” and he “appeared to be having a seizure.”
At the hospital, documents state doctors discovered the baby had “severe injuries to his brain, eyes, and spine including a loss of the differentiation between the gray and white matter in his brain.”
Rath was arrested and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Oct. 24. At last check, she remains behind bars. Her bail was set at $500,000.
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