An Oklahoma home daycare operator allegedly stuffed wet wipes into the mouths of crying toddlers to silence them, investigators said.
Samantha Pearson, 25, operated the home daycare near North Santa Fe Avenue and Northwest 6th Street in Moore.
The alleged abuse occurred on June 26 while Pearson cared for several children inside the home, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Surveillance video captured the operator repeatedly pushing wet wipes into the mouths of children aged 3 and 4, investigators said.
The wipes were used to stop the toddlers from crying, according to court documents.
One child managed to spit a wipe out, the affidavit states. Pearson allegedly replaced the wipe after the child spat it out, investigators said.
Another child attempted to crawl away from the operator, according to court records. Pearson allegedly grabbed the child, slammed the toddler onto a changing table and open-hand slapped the child, investigators said.
Prosecutors charged Pearson on August 25 with three counts of child abuse, court records show.
The operator had not held a valid childcare license since 2025, state officials said.
Former client Brittany Moser-Moxley stopped using the daycare following troubling incidents, she told News 9. Her children are not victims in the current charges, Moser-Moxley said.
Pearson had left the children with Pearson’s husband without notifying the mother, Moser-Moxley said.
Pearson also texted that the boy was turning purple and blue, causing the mother to leave work and rush home, Moser-Moxley said.
A judge set Pearson’s bond at $300,000, court records show.
If Pearson is released, the court requires her to wear a GPS monitor, avoid drugs and alcohol, and have no contact with the children or their families.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 29.
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