Nanny Whipped 8-Month-Old Baby With Towel, Pinched 2-Year-Old Multiple Times

A Florida nanny was arrested after she abused two children under her care and admitted to being intoxicated while taking care of them, deputies said Thursday. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was contacted by two parents who claimed their 8-month-old and 2-year-old children were harmed by 25-year-old Sarai Rivera.

The investigation began last week after the parents said they found bruises on their daughter's face and son's neck after Rivera, who regularly babysits for the family, watched. During a forensic exam, the nurses found bruising on the children. They concluded the bruising was consistent with intentional grabbing and pinching.

Following the forensic exam, detectives interviewed Rivera and she admitted that she grabbed the 8-month-old child by the chin and "whipped her with a towel twice in the face, to get the infant to stop crying." A press release from officials also stated that Rivera admitted the 2-year-old's bruises were caused by "pinching or sucking on the child's neck too hard." She also admitted she was intoxicated on the evening she was caring for the children.

Rivera said she "was kissing the male too hard while playing with him and gave him a 'hickie' by accident," the affidavit stated, according to CBS-affiliated television WTSP.

Detectives say Rivera later revealed she was suffering from depression and was "adjusting medications" in order to cope. She said the medication makes her "snap" and become "irritable," the affidavit stated.

Rivera faced two counts of child abuse charges and was sent to the Sarasota County Jail.

In a similar incident in February, a babysitter in Jacksonville, Florida, was charged with aggravated child abuse for physically abusing an infant, leaving the child with critical injuries. Police said an 11-month-old baby was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries in January. According to an arrest warrant, Kala Vinson told doctors the little girl fell down two stairs, but a medical report from the child protection team concluded the girl's injuries were the result of physical abuse. Authorities said the mother found Vinson on a babysitter website and she decided to leave the baby in her care while she went to work.