NORRISTOWN, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — A daycare worker accused of assaulting two infants under her care at a facility in Upper Providence appeared in district court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
Catalina Baldwin, 37, sat silently through more than an hour of testimony from a child abuse expert from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia explaining the injuries suffered by the two infants while they were said to be in her care.
Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Meghan Carney said the alleged assaults happened in May and July.
“One specifically suffered a mouth injury, excessive bleeding. The second suffered serious head trauma,” said Carney.
The first victim was five months old at the time she was injured on May 29, and is still recovering. The expert pediatrician testified that she believed something had been shoved into the child’s mouth.
The second victim was seven months old when she was injured on July 9, and is still hospitalized. Officials said she became unresponsive that morning at the daycare. They credited nearby firefighters with keeping her alive as she was brought to the Children’s Hospital Philadelphia Branch in King of Prussia. A portion of her skull had to be removed to relieve bleeding between the bone and her brain. The expert testified that she was likely either shaken or struck.
Baldwin, of Phoenixville, is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A formal arrangement in court is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22.