A 29-year-old Anaheim woman hired to care for a two-month-old Irvine boy is accused of striking, shaking, throwing and violently bouncing the infant during weeks of alleged abuse that nanny-camera footage eventually exposed. Iara Dossantos Bomfim has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony counts of child abuse and remains held on $500,000 bail.
Bomfim was hired by the Irvine family to care for their newborn son and worked for them for about three weeks, according to the NBC Los Angeles report on the case. The Orange County District Attorney's Office says the abuse began on June 17, when the baby was just two months and 10 days old, according to ABC7.
The alleged abuse came to light on July 11, when the baby's mother reviewed camera footage after hearing her then-three-month-old son scream, as reported by News Santa Ana. The family reviewed roughly 30 days of footage, with the alleged incidents dated from June 17 to July 11.
What the Footage Allegedly Shows
Subsequent review of approximately 30 days of footage allegedly revealed repeated incidents of punching, hitting, shaking, throwing, and otherwise physically abusing the infant between June 17 and July 11, the outlet's report states. The footage also allegedly showed the child falling headfirst from a bed while under Bomfim's care and being forcefully thrown onto a bed during another incident.
According to the District Attorney's Office, the footage showed Bomfim violently bouncing the baby while sitting on a yoga ball, jolting the infant's head back and forth, and punching him in the back of the head. NBC Los Angeles and News Santa Ana also reported that Bomfim threw the baby onto a bed on at least one occasion.
An Arrest Three Months Later
After the alleged abuse, Bomfim fled to her native Brazil, according to the District Attorney's Office. She was arrested by the Irvine Police Department on Oct. 23 after returning to Southern California. Investigators say that upon her return, she allegedly attempted to set up another Care.com account to advertise childcare services — the same type of platform families use to find nannies and caregivers.
Bomfim has pleaded not guilty to the 10 felony counts and faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in state prison if convicted on all counts, per the News Santa Ana report. She remains in custody on $500,000 bail.
DA's Warning to Parents
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said parents should fully vet anyone they allow around their child and report suspicious behavior to law enforcement. The case lands amid staggering countywide numbers: Orange County received 40,294 abuse and neglect referrals involving 25,848 children during 2025 alone, according to the News Santa Ana report, and county officials reported that nearly 1,000 children were taken into protective custody that year.
