A Delaware day care worker who was charged with suffocating a crying 4-month-old baby last year is now accused of abusing at least four other children.
Dejoynay Ferguson, 20, was indicted Monday with murder by abuse or neglect.
On Sept. 5, 2019, Delaware State Troopers and medics responded to the Little People Child Development Center on the 3800 block of Wrangle Hill Road in Wilmington for a report of an unresponsive 4-month-old girl. The baby was taken to Christiana Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said Ferguson was caring for the baby in the Infant Room of the day care when she placed her hands over the child’s mouth and nose, intentionally restricting her breathing until she became unresponsive. Ferguson then placed the unresponsive child back into a crib, according to officials.
Ferguson allegedly waited about 20 minutes before alerting the owner of the day care that the girl was unresponsive. They then called 911.
Monday’s indictment included a single count of murder by abuse or neglect, which replaced the original 1st degree murder charge, as well as 42 counts of child abuse against the baby girl. Investigators said the child abuse occurred between July 16, 2019 and Sept. 5, 2019.
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State Police also determined Ferguson abused four more children between the ages of one month through 15 months of age. Ferguson faces seven additional accounts of 1st degree child abuse and three counts of 2nd degree child abuse as a result.
Ferguson remains in custody at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution.
