Infant bitten 27 times, daycare shut down

Dillon Collier | KENS-TV, San Antonio, Texas

Show Caption Hide Caption Infant bitten 27 times, day care shut down A Texas day care was shut down after an infant was bitten 27 times by another child. Investigators say the home day care was unlicensed.

SAN ANTONIO -- Investigators shut down a home day care operation after they said an infant was bitten 27 times by another child.

Child Care Licensing ordered the homeowner to cease operations Monday after an investigation revealed she had been operating out of a home on Bentwood View without a license. Investigators found eight children in the home and determined it had been in operation for eight years.

The infant, who was rushed to a hospital Friday, had pronounced bite marks all over his body, including his eyes, cheeks, legs, stomach and back. The parents of the baby, who asked not to be identified, said the day care operator waited four hours to call them and did so only after the baby's injuries did not fade away.

KENS 5 is not naming the operator because she has not been criminally charged.

A San Antonio Police Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday the case is under investigation by its sex crimes unit. The spokesman said it does not appear a sex crime took place; instead, the unit has taken on the case because it involves the possibility that a crime was committed against a child.

The operator could face charges of child neglect or injury to a child by omission if investigators determine something could have been done to prevent the baby's injuries.

The daycare operator said she did not know that she had to have a license to operate. She claims she called the baby's parents within a few minutes of finding the bite marks.

A neighbor living a few doors down said he took his daughter to the home for a year and never had any issues.

A Child Protective Services spokeswoman said that the operator has expressed an interest in getting a license and reopening the operation. She would be required to complete several steps, including background checks and CPR training for all employees.