AIKEN --- An Aiken County day care owner has been charged with homicide by child abuse, accused of shaking a 16-month-old in her care so hard it caused fatal head trauma, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.
Elouise Wade-Meria Taylor, 51, of 53 Saint Johns Church Road, is accused of injuring the child on Aug. 5 in her home.
The child's identity has not been released.
SLED agents arrested Taylor at her home Thursday morning, according to SLED spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons. Calls to Timmons and the Department of Social Services were not returned Thursday evening.
Family members at Taylor's home said Thursday they did not wish to comment.
Neighbor Shirnell Bryant said Taylor has kept children at her Silver Bluff home for several years and she hadn't witnessed anything out of the ordinary when Taylor played with children outside.
Taylor is being held at the Aiken County Detention Center, awaiting her bond hearing.
Anyone who harms a child deserves the same harm they gave the child.
How can anyone hurt a baby like that? My heart goes out to the bereaved family.
I hope she likes the way she is going to be shaken in PRISON!
Nobody means to do it; it's done out of frustration and anger.
And many people don't realize how it can be deadly.
Shaken baby syndrome used to be somewhat accidental, as people didn't realize that damage that it does to an infant. But now there is no excuse. We all know that it kills. This is a very sad thing, to entrust your child to a caregiver who then kills it.
corgimom, I seriously hope that comment was sarcastic and not how you really think! "Nobody means to do it!" As a day care provider, I would assume that she has full knowledge of what shaking a baby can do. It's comments like that, that allows people like her to get away with what she has done.
If that was my child, the headline would be totally different.
I'm sure there are people who shake babies out of frustration and anger, and don't mean to kill the babies. THOSE people should not run a daycare, period. As a child care provider she should KNOW that shaking a baby can harm the child, there is NO excuse for this low life.
I can't believe some of the comments I'm reading, shake a kid out of frustration and anger? How could anybody think of doing this to a poor, defenseless 16 month old? Would somebody explain to me when this would ever be appropriate? Some of the comments lend me to believe that some people think is alright as long as you don't kill the child? Unbelieveable....I agree with gnumbgnuts, if this was one of my grandchildren, I would be in the headlines.
Tragic. My heart goes out to the family of the child.
WHEN I WATCH MY NEPHEW SURE HE GETS CRANKY AND CRYS ALOT BUT I WOULD NEVER EVER HURT HIM OR ANOTHER CHILD...I CANT WAIT FOR HER TO GO TO JAIL AND GET THE BEATDOWN SHE SO DESPERATELY DESERVES
People who apply for home daycare should be given required pyschological exams. This is why people who have to use day cares should stick to the ones that have camera's installed and hallway windows in all the rooms.
Taking care of children, especially the little ones, requires a great deal of patience; if you haven't got it, stay out of the business. If a caregiver is feeling out of sorts that day, don't take the child in because you may take your frustrations out on the child. As for getting a "beatdown she so desparately needs," I don't think that fits the picture here, sassygurl; do you honestly believe the caregiver got up that morning and said,"I'm going to shake a baby today"? I don't think so. This does not condone what she did, but I think it's premature to blast the woman for an avoidable incident.
With respect to the infant's family, my condolences and prayers to you.
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