Mother reports autistic child abused on video by MS Coast daycare worker. Arrest follows
An employee of Faithfully Yours Learning Center Inc. in Gautier is charged with felony abuse for allegedly slapping, kicking and restraining a nonverbal 3-year-old boy with autism.
Gautier police got a warrant to arrest Kierra Nicole Shavers, 24, of Gulfport, on Wednesday. She is being held at the Jackson County jail.
She is charged with one count of felony willful infliction of pain or injury of a vulnerable person, in this case, a special-needs child. The maximum penalty is up to 20 years in prison.
Before the arrest, the Sun Herald sat down with the child’s mother, Jessica Brown, who reported the alleged crimes after she received video footage of Shavers twice hitting the toddler in the face in one two-second video, kicking him in another short video, and then sitting on the floor and using her body to restrain the boy by wrapping her arms and legs around him.
In the limited footage, shot by a worker at the business on Gautier-Vancleave Road, the little boy appears to raise one arm in the air to try to defend himself before Shavers reaches down and slaps him in the face.
“He was scared, and he couldn’t even tell me,” his mother said through tears. “If this girl hadn’t gotten the videos, I wouldn’t know.”
After learning of the alleged abuse, Brown went to her attorney, Michael Crosby, to find out what she needed to do to ensure the woman was held accountable.
The mother reported the alleged crimes to Gautier police for investigation.
“We cannot rely on the assurances of teachers and staff that our children are being well treated,” Crosby said. “We must look beyond appearances to verify their safety.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 7:20 AM.
