The Bronx has been shaken by allegations of child abuse perpetuated by a babysitter hired to care for three young boys. La'Keysha Jackson, aged 24, has been charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a report by ABC7NY. Despite a warrant for her arrest being issued in June, details reveal that the alleged abuse was caught on camera in May, and yet Jackson's arrest was not made until weeks after the footage was turned over to the authorities.
The videos in question depict a troubling scene where Jackson is allegedly seen to repeatedly assault the children with a belt. The horrifying acts were captured nearly a month prior to her arrest, bringing into question the delay in the response by law enforcement. The footage, which prompted an immediate police report from the family on May 8, was shockingly not enough to quickly bring Jackson into custody. It wasn't until after a New York Post exposé on the incident that the NYPD managed to eventually cuff the accused.
Information obtained from ABC7NY further details how the abuse was accidentally uncovered by the children's grandmother, who resides in Pennsylvania. Upon noticing the children asleep at an uncharacteristically early hour, the grandmother reviewed the home's live camera feeds, leading to the alarming discovery. Subsequently, the family's attorney, Cali Madia of Veridian Legal, revealed the long span during which Jackson was entrusted with the care of the children, as she was tasked with watching over them as their mother undertook employment demands.
The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has since stated it is taking "these despicable actions very seriously," and launched a review of the contractor's procedures that dispatched Jackson to the boys' home. Jackson, who began babysitting for Geraldine Jaramillo, the boys' mother, last year, was contracted by ACS through a company named Selfhelp. After the allegations came to light, Selfhelp confirmed Jackson's termination and expressed full cooperation with ongoing investigations by both ACS and the NYPD, according to information provided by ABC7NY.
