CONWAY, AR (KATV) — The Conway Police Department is investigating alleged abuse of a one-year-old girl depicted through the popular social media app Snapchat.
Three female teens remain in juvenile detention, charged with endangering the welfare of a minor.
Elyssia Watkins and Trence Woods are the parents of one-year-old Carrigan, who was supposed to be taken care of at a home in the 1300 block Joyner in Conway.
Watkins said she’s worked with this babysitter in the past. But now, she’s weary of who to trust anymore.
“Didn’t think they’d do that. Why would you do that to a one year old – helpless, can’t talk, can’t tell you what’s wrong,” Watkins said.
Conway Police Officer Brittani Little spoke with Watkins, who showed her video that appeared to show three teen girls laughing hysterically, taunting the baby with a taser and causing the baby to scream and sob uncontrollably.
According to the police, the video also shows one of the girls slapping Carrigan’s head.
“Then I look at the beginning (of video) and I don’t even want to see no more because it just makes me more angry,” Woods said.
Woods’ 18-year-old daughter died in a car wreck on St. Patrick’s Day of this year.
When his wife called him about what had happened to Carrigan, it brought back painful memories.
Watkins told police that the teens were in charge of babysitting the child and she had been unaware of the alleged abuse until she saw the video, at which point she immediately brought the child to the hospital for treatment.
No injuries were found on Carrigan, according the report.
The incident report indicates one of the mothers told an officer her daughter did nothing wrong; that she was simply documenting the abuse.
But the officer responded, saying “the daughter can be seen and heard provoking the violence against the baby.”
As for Watkins and Woods, they’re just happy to have little Carrigan back, where she’s safe.
“She seems like she’s happy and I guess you just need to pay more attention to look for signs. Maybe educate myself better,” Watkins said.
All three teen girls have been located and arrested for first degree endangering the welfare of a minor and are being held in the Faulkner County Juvenile Detention Center.
