Montgomery County childcare center worker charged with assaulting 2 babies
Catalina Baldwin, 37, asked ChatGPT how to respond to a mother who was concerned about her baby's safety, authorities said.
A 37-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated assault on two infants at a childcare center in Oaks where she worked, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.
Catalina Baldwin, 37, of Phoenixville, was being held Friday at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $99,000 bail. If she posts bail, Baldwin will be subject to electronic monitoring.
Her attorney, Brian McMonagle, did not return a request for comment.
On July 9, Upper Providence police and firefighters responded to a report of an unresponsive 7-month-old girl at the Oaks Early Learning Center. The baby, who appeared to be having seizures, was transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in King of Prussia, where she was diagnosed with multiple injuries consistent with nonaccidental trauma, Steele said.
The infant was flown to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she underwent emergency surgery. Part of her skull had to be removed and she remains hospitalized, Steele said.
In a statement Friday, a representative for Oaks Early Learning Center said Baldwin is no longer working at the facility. Baldwin, the representative said, had worked in the childcare industry for 12 years and had a “spotless record” before her arrest.
Staff at the center are conducting an internal investigation, according to the statement, and installing security cameras in all of its rooms.
“We want to arrive at and embrace the truth,” the representative said. “The child and the family are in our prayers.”
On the day of the incident, Baldwin, who worked in the infant room, texted the childcare center’s director asking her to respond to the infant room, Steele said. The director said the infant was listless and unable to hold up her head and the director then sought emergency help.
Detectives downloaded data from Baldwin’s cell phone and found she had texted another employee that the baby “is a nightmare” eight minutes before she texted the director for help, Steele said. The message was deleted shortly before Baldwin spoke with detectives, according to Steele.
Investigators also found that Baldwin searched on Google for “Shaken Syndrome” on July 11, he said.
Upper Providence police had been investigating an incident in late May in which a 5-month-old girl was injured while in the infant room at Oaks Early Learning Center.
Baldwin sent a message to the girl’s mother saying the infant had experienced bleeding from the mouth, Steele said. The mother took the girl to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to be evaluated.
According to the police affidavit of probable cause for Baldwin’s arrest, on May 30 Baldwin allegedly sought advice from ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot.
“A mom of one of my infants in my classroom wants a meeting because she thinks the baby’s safety is compromised in the classroom because she has had incidents often. How can I handle this situation? She wants a meeting. And what to say?” Baldwin asked, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit does not say what ChatGPT’s answer was, but the affidavit said Baldwin and the center’s director told the mother the girl “caused the injury herself by placing a broken wicker basket in her mouth.”
The baby was later admitted to the hospital and was given a feeding tube, police said.
The CHOP Child Protection Team reported that the injury was “highly concerning for non-accidental trauma/child physical abuse,” Steele said. The girl was in the sole care of Baldwin at the time of the injury, he said.
Besides two counts of aggravated assault, Baldwin was charged with two counts each of simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and recklessly endangering another person.
A preliminary hearing for Baldwin is scheduled for Aug. 12.