ABC News April 18, 2019

Illinois day care workers charged with 'force-feeding' infants

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Police on Wednesday charged three women seen in a video force-feeding infants at a day care center.

Investigators said surveillance footage from Little People Learning Center in Downers Grove, Illinois, showed the employees giving infants solid food, holding their mouths shut and tilting their heads back as they cried.

Police in Downers Grove, about 25 miles west of Chicago, said the abuse occurred on multiple occasions between December 2018 and January 2019.

Downers Grove Police Department
Left to right: Maura Healy, 38, Stephanie Radke, 24, and Mariah Flemister, 20, were arrested and charged with "force-feeding" infants at a Downers Grove, Ill., day care.

The suspects -- Maura Healy, 38, Stephanie Radke, 24, and Mariah Flemister, 20 -- each were charged with battery and endangering the life or health of a child, according to the Downers Grove Police Department.

(MORE: Missouri day care worker flung child into cabinet then reported she was hurt in 'fall': Lawyer)

"During the investigation, video from the daycare center showed each employee, on separate occasions, force-feeding the two infants under their care," the department said. "The charges were filed following an investigation into the reported mistreatment of two infants."

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Investigators said surveillance footage from the Little People Learning Center, in Downers Grove, Illinois, showed former workers force feeding infants.

The facility, which said it fired the women in January when the abuse allegations surfaced, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

(MORE: Daycare owner drugged kids, tied them into car seats: Police)

All three suspects were released on bond as of early Thursday and scheduled to appear in court in May. It's unclear if they've retained attorneys.