MS Coast woman indicted, daycare sued over abuse of special needs child
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mother files suit in 2025 against daycare, ex-owners and worker over abuse.
- Video shows worker striking and restraining nonverbal toddler; grand jury indicts.
- State records reveal prior violations and center dissolution; owners opened new firm.
Jessica “Camay” Brown is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and other relief in a lawsuit over the alleged abuse of her nonverbal, special needs son at the former Faithfully Yours Learning Center, Inc., in Gautier.
Her attorney, Michael Crosby, filed a lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court against the daycare and its former owners, Sarah and Anthony York, accusing them of negligence and gross negligence in the hiring, supervision, and training of employees. The lawsuit also names Faith Vision, Inc., as one of the defendants, as well as Gulfport resident Kierra Nicole Shavers, the former daycare worker there accused of abusing the child.
Records from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office show that the owners dissolved Faithfully Yours Learning Center after the allegations of criminal wrongdoing surfaced last year. The Yorks are now listed as president and vice president of a new business, Faith Vision, which operates at the same Gautier-Vancleave Road location.
The lawsuit claims the Yorks violated state child care licensing regulations by failing to maintain proper staff-to-child ratios and adequate supervision — all failures that allegedly allowed the abuse of Brown’s then 3-year-old son, Dekari.
The Sun Herald first broke the story on the alleged abuse after interviewing Brown and reviewing video footage showing daycare worker, Kierra Nicole Shavers, striking and kicking the toddler.
In one clip, Shavers appears to slap Dekari, as he raises an arm to defend himself; in another, she allegedly restrains him by wrapping her arms and legs around him on the floor.
“He was scared, and he couldn’t even tell me,” Brown told the Sun Herald. “If this girl (one of the employees there) hadn’t gotten the videos, I wouldn’t know.”
After learning about what had happened, Brown contacted her attorney and reported the incident to Gautier police, leading to Shavers’ arrest. A Jackson County grand jury has since indicted Shavers on two felony charges, one count for felony abuse of a child and a second count for felony assault of a vulnerable person, in this case the special education student.
Shavers is now out of jail on bond.
Crosby said the case highlights a broader issue of neglect and a lack of accountability in some child care settings.
“We cannot assume our children are safe merely because of our expectations for a particular facility or person in this day and age,” Crosby said. “In today’s world, we must take the extra effort to explore the possibility that our worst nightmare may be taking place without our knowledge.”
In the aftermath of the report on the alleged abuse, Sarah York told the Sun Herald she self-reported the incident to the state and that once she found out about the allegations, Shavers was “effectively let go.”
The Sun Herald reached out to the Yorks for comment on Thursday, but hasn’t heard back.
When the allegations first surfaced last year, Sarah York told the Sun Herald that the daycare “absolutely does not stand with any type of child abuse.”
As for the allegations against Shavers at the time, Sarah York said: “We are 100 percent with the mother regarding this entire event. This is an absolutely disgusting thing that happened. We did everything we could to make sure this type of event does not occur at any childcare facility. It is very disheartening.”
After the allegations first surfaced, The Sun Herald researched state records on the daycare formerly known as Faithfully Yours Learning Center, Inc., and found that the center had failed inspections in the past, once for having one too many children in a classroom and again for failing to conduct monthly fire drills.
In addition, two parents had filed complaints against the daycare.
