Daycare Workers Arrested After Scaring Kids With Mask from “Scream”

A daycare in Mississippi is under investigation after disturbing videos of childcare workers scaring toddlers with a mask from “Scream” have gone viral on the internet.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s department, Sierra McCandless, 21; Oci-Anna Kilburn, 28; Jennifer Newman, 25; and Shyenne Mills, 28; have each been charged with three counts of felony child abuse, while Traci Hutson, 44; has been charged with failure to report abuse by mandatory reporter and simple assault.

The five suspects were arrested Thursday in connection to three viral videos of the workers allegedly using the mask to frighten a group of young children left in their care at the Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, Mississippi.

“Are you being bad? Do I need to take you outside?” one daycare worker is heard screaming in a toddler’s face, while wearing the mask. “You better be good,” she says, before making her way into another room of toddlers.

A second video shows another worker putting on the mask and scaring the kids while they are trying to eat lunch.

Cries and screams of multiple children can be heard on the videos, which were filmed in September and October of this year.

Daycare owner Sheila Sanders said she was unaware of the unsettling videos until Wednesday afternoon of this week.

“The people that did those acts are no longer with us. They were fired. I wasn’t here at the time and wasn’t aware they were doing that. I don’t condone that and never have. I just want to say it’s been taken care of,” Sanders said.

Bond amounts for McCandless and Kilburn were set at $20,000, while the bonds of Newman and Mills are $15,000. Hutson’s bond amount was not released.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.