Maryland nanny convicted of fatally force-feeding baby

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) — A live-in nanny in Maryland was convicted of second-degree murder on Monday after fatally force-feeding a baby in her care.

Oluremi Oyindasola now faces up to 70 years behind bars.

The case dates back to November of 2016. That’s when 68-year-old Oyindasola was working as a live-in nanny for a family in Glenarden. She cared for the family’s three children, including 8-month-old Enita.

Video from an in-home surveillance system shows Enita moving around in a walker in the living room, as her nanny sleeps on the couch. At one point in the video, you can see the baby crying and tugging on Oyindasola’s leg.

“The nanny was sleeping on the couch and the baby was pulling at her, and so I think she was irritated with the baby and wanted the baby to stop,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said.

When the nanny finally wakes up and sits up on the couch, she does the unthinkable.

“The video showed the defendant force feeding the baby with milk,” Braveboy said. “So what she did was, she took the nipple off the bottle and just poured the milk down the baby’s throat.”

The investigation that followed revealed that Oyindasola spent 26 seconds pouring the milk down little Enita’s throat.

The baby lost consciousness and began to suffocate. Investigators said that Oyindasola waited 20 minutes before calling Enita’s father, who called 911 on his way to the house.

Enita was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. An autopsy determined the baby’s official cause of death was asphyxiation.

“Any caregiver should’ve known this would have caused serious bodily harm, or in this case, death,” Braveboy said. “This family, I can tell you, the mother and father did everything right. They interviewed nannies, they got referrals and the defendant came highly recommended from friends who they knew.”

Braveboy said she knows the case is upsetting to anyone who is a parent.

“What I can say is that the installation of that home video really aided our office in securing justice. So I would advise any family, if you have a live-in nanny or babysitter, to install an in-home camera to monitor your home,” she said. “It’s the right thing to do for our young people.”

Sentencing for Oyindasola is set for May 3, 2019. She was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death and second-degree child abuse.

“She committed a crime, and now she’s going to have to pay,” Braveboy said.