Marine Corps Day Care Hit with Legal Allegations of Widespread Child Abuse
Five Marine Corps families filed federal claims against the government late last month alleging that negligent hiring practices, training and supervision at a Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, day care led to pervasive child abuse and neglect, according to court records.
The claim stated that, collectively, police documented "at least" more than 200 instances of abuse and neglect at the child development center aboard the Marine Corps base over a three-month period between 2020 and early 2021.
The children, between the ages of 1 and 2 years old, were allegedly slapped, dropped, shoved, dragged, thrown and verbally abused during that time period, leaving them with lasting injuries and behavioral issues, including self-harm and delayed emotional development, the complaints filed Nov. 26 said.
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In one instance, a child care worker dragged a child on his back and threw "several items" on top of him before grabbing him by one leg and carrying him across the room upside down, the claim said, citing a police report. In another instance, the same worker shoved a different child face-first into a cot during naptime and aggressively smacked his back 12 to 13 times with the heel of her palm, according to court records.
"Had MCAS Yuma CDC staff had proper precautions in place to identify, address, and report the behavior to law enforcement and family members at an earlier time," the claim said, children "would not have suffered the same level of trauma" they and their families "are now left to deal with."
Responding to an abuse report from the day care's director, Laura Frank, police arrived at the development center on March 2, 2021, "after months of ongoing abuse and neglect against several different children in the Tiny Tots program," the claim said. There, law enforcement reviewed video footage from the last three months at the center.
In the aftermath, "the CDC provided minimal information regarding the neglect and abuse," the claim said, and "plaintiffs were told that video footage existed dating back only 90 days prior to March 2, but the family was not able to view the recordings independently for some time."
The fallout resulted in charges against two employees named in the claim, Valerie McKinstry and Katherine McCombs, who were sentenced to 13 days in jail and five years supervised probation, respectively, local media reported last year. A third worker, Maria Mendez, was named in the claim but did not face charges, the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported.
"We are aware of the lawsuit regarding incidents that occurred at the Child Development Center aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma," Capt. Owen VanWyck, a spokesperson for the base, told Military.com over email Thursday. "We have cooperated fully with authorities over the course of their investigation and will continue to do so as necessary."
The complaints point to more abuse and the same systematic issues that have affected families and children in the military's child development centers.
In April, a Military.com investigation uncovered the plight of families seeking accountability for alleged abuse their children endured at the centers and the efforts it required to get basic information about the cases. Within hours of publication, the Pentagon asked its inspector general to investigate the issues raised by families in the story.
Stars and Stripes, which first reported on the claim Thursday, identified the parents of the children as Marines ranging in rank from corporal to master sergeant.
"You had these people who were repeatedly abusing these 1- to 2-year-old children," Glen Sturtevant, an attorney for the families, told the publication. Sturtevant could not be reached by Military.com before publication.
Related: 'Betrayal': Family of Toddler Abused at Navy Day Care Launches Claim that Service Negligently Mishandled Their Case.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/12/05/marine-corps-day-care-hit-legal-allegations-of-widespread-child-abuse.html