11-Month-Old Dies After Caregiver Forces Food Down Baby's Throat At Preschool

A female caregiver was arrested in Ghana after a video of her forcing food down the throat of an 11-month-old baby surfaced online.

CCTV camera installed in the room of a preschool at Ashongman estates in Accra caught the woman mistreating the child, following which the baby died. The video, which was shared on YouTube, showed the accused woman forcing a liquid-based food substance down the throat of the baby.

The woman, identified as Clara Ayani-Ampah, was unmoved by the baby's cries as she held the victim's hands tightly. Ayani-Ampah continued to force the baby to swallow the food despite seeing the child attempting to gasp for breath. The video of the incident could be disturbing to viewers. The police arrested the 54-year-old woman, local media reported Friday.

According to Ghana Web, two other children were inside the room when the incident took place at preschool Happy Bloomers. Local media reports said the video was from May 18, and the incident came to light after the child's parents filed a complaint following the baby's death.

The baby, identified as Allegra Mensah, was pronounced dead at the North Legon Hospital where she was rushed to by managers of the preschool, Occupygh.com reported.

The father of the victim told the local police on May 18 he received a call from the preschool informing him that his daughter was sick and had been taken to the North Legon Hospital. Doctors at the hospital declared the baby dead on arrival.

After an investigation was launched, the preschool handed over the CCTV footage from that day to the police showing how Ayani-Ampah handled the baby.

The police conducted an autopsy, following which the baby's body was handed over to the family. The results of the autopsy are yet to be released. The charges against the accused have also not been revealed.

In another caregiver-involved death of a child, a baby girl died a day after her head was found submerged in a bathroom sink during her bath in Malaysia in March. The child was in the care of her babysitter when the incident took place. The 43-year-old babysitter had filled the sink almost to the brim to give the baby a bath when she placed the child in it and left the bathroom. When she returned, she found the baby submerged in the water.