A 26-year-old Indiana woman, Areeana Adeniyi, is facing charges of battery and neglect of a dependent following an incident at a church daycare where she allegedly caused a two-year-old boy to break his leg. Adeniyi, who has a warrant out for her arrest, is accused of injuring the child while playing with him by lifting him in the air and putting him down, causing his ankle to roll.
The incident occurred on July 23 at the Zionsville Presbyterian Church daycare, located approximately 18 miles north of Indianapolis. The case was brought to light the following day when the boy’s father discovered his son’s broken tibia. The father had seen a video of the incident that contradicted the daycare’s report of the event, prompting him to contact the police.
According to the father, the video showed more than a simple pick-up and put-down scenario as described in the daycare’s incident report. The footage revealed the boy’s tibia visibly snapping. The father was initially informed by the daycare that his son, referred to as “MV1” in court documents, was in pain due to a possible twisted ankle.
The daycare provided a “Child’s Special Report,” which stated that the boy’s ankle rolled when Adeniyi put him down after lifting him in the air. The boy was given an ice pack following the incident. The father later took his son to the hospital when the boy was unable to put any weight on his leg. X-rays confirmed a fractured tibia.
Court documents also disclosed text messages Adeniyi allegedly sent to her supervisor following the incident. In one message, she expressed concern that she may have broken the boy’s foot while playing with him too roughly. She described lifting the children in the air and flipping them, causing the boy to hit his foot on the ground and swell.
In a subsequent phone call with police, Adeniyi explained that she could not meet in person to discuss the incident as she had been asked to leave the daycare premises due to safety concerns. She admitted to playing roughly with the children to make them smile and said she put the boy down because he was irritated by her touch. She also described the boy as a “crybaby” with “anger problems.”
The boy’s father criticized Adeniyi’s attempt to defend her actions and disparage his son’s character. When informed by the officer that the boy had a fractured tibia, Adeniyi denied abusing him and expressed upset that the boy’s father was angry, stating that “accidents happen.”
The church has since confirmed that Adeniyi is no longer employed at the daycare.