Daycare Worker Under Investigation Disappears Following Child Abuse Allegation

Tulsa Police are investigating a woman who ran an in-home babysitting service, after parents say their 18-month-old daughter was abused in the woman's care.

The woman has not been arrested or charged at this time, but detectives did send the case to the District Attorney's office for review.

When Tyler Dettman and Stephanie White dropped their daughter off at Mothers Love Babysitting on September 22, they say their daughter was fine, but when they picked her up, they say she had bruises, black eyes and knots on her head.

Their daughter, Olyvia, is a busy, friendly toddler, who sometimes needed daycare at night when both her parents worked.

They had seen a flyer from Mothers Love Babysitters, asked around and heard good things, so took her by. They said they had good experiences until September 22, when they say the daycare owner called to say Olyvia was having an allergic reaction.

Dettman picked her up and was headed to the hospital, when he decided to call his mom, who is a nurse, and he sent her a picture of Olyvia in her car seat.

She told him she didn't believe it was an allergic reaction. She thought it looked like bruises and scratch marks.

"I turned her around and said, ‘I really need to see a doctor and a police officer right now,'" Dettman said.

In addition to the bruises on her forehead and the black eyes, they say Olyvia had marks on her head that police believed matched plastic play screws that fit into a construction toy set. But her parents say a child abuse specialist told them the marks were not made by another child.

"I knew it was obvious child abuse. I just want to know what happened. I know it won't fix anything," White said.

TPD's child crisis unit confirms they are investigating and have sent the case to the DA for a possible child neglect charge. They say they can't yet prove how Olyvia got hurt or by whom, but they say the daycare owner is responsible.

Olyvia's parents said they not only want justice for their daughter, but they want other parents to be warned.

"I just want somebody to be held accountable," White said.

"What I want is the truth to come out, to know exactly what happened," said Dettman.

DHS said the owner of Mothers Love Babysitters, Chelsea Day, is not licensed to operate a daycare.

They say they told her to stop and did a follow-up visit, and she had no kids in her care, although police say she has now moved out of her house and shut off her phone.

Again, she has not been arrested or charged with a crime and is only under investigation, at this time.

I attempted to contact her through Facebook, but didn't hear back.