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Day Care Worker Claims She Was Trying To "Toughen Up" Toddler When She Allegedly Killed Him
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Aug 24, 2014
Modified Aug 24, 2014
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By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Aug 24, 2014
Modified Aug 24, 2014
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A day care worker told investigators she was trying to "toughen up" a toddler when she left him in a tub filled with boiling water last week, killing the 20-month-old child.
Athena Skeeter, 40, picked up Cardell Williamson from his bed after he threw up on Friday, and put him in a scalding bath tub. Skeeter left Williamson in the tub, where the child suffered severe burns. Cops were called to the scene, but it was already too late for the toddler. He also suffered blunt force trauma to his head and chest, according to The Post.
Skeeter was charged with manslaughter during her arraignment in the Bronx. Skeeter apparently wrestled with the boy before his death, and according to the criminal complaint told investigators that “I then threw my son on top of Cardell and stepped on his stomach three times.
"I was wrestling with Cardell," Skeeter said, according to the Daily News. "I flipped him on the bed. … I lifted him by one arm and one leg and threw him to the floor."
Cardell acted different after that.” Skeeter had been licensed to run a private daycare center out of her apartment in Mount Eden.
Tagged
child care
crime
death
toddlers
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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