Daycare provider accused of hitting 3-year-old, blamed it on birth control

MORRISON CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - A Morrison County daycare provider is facing charges after she allegedly abused a child, and later blamed it on birth control.

Daycare provider charged after toddler found bruised

What we know:

A woman who runs a home daycare in Bowlus is charged with child abuse after a 3-year-old boy in her care was found with a large bruise on his buttock following what she later admitted was excessive physical discipline, according to charges filed in Morrison County Court. 

Elizabeth Ann Fuchs, 37, who operates a daycare out of her home on the 3000 block Great River Road in Bowlus, is charged with malicious punishment of a child, a gross misdemeanor.

The complaint states the alleged abuse happened around 10 a.m. on Sept. 1. When the boy's mother, identified in court documents as B.P., arrived to pick him up that evening, she found her son on the toilet in the bathroom. She went to help him since he is potty training and noticed he was crying. When she helped him off the toilet, she saw a very large bruise on his right buttock. The bruising pattern somewhat resembled a handprint, and it appeared as though blood vessels had popped.

What the mother found and reported

Why you should care:

The complaint states that on the way home, the boy's mother asked her other son what he had seen and heard earlier. The boy said he saw and heard Fuchs hit the toddler on the head, but did not witness how the bruise on the buttock happened.

The complaint states the mother texted Fuchs about the injury. Fuchs initially told her it may have happened when the boy slid down a slide. Unsatisfied with that explanation, she texted again, and this time Fuchs admitted she had slapped the boy in the back of the head and also struck him on the buttocks with her open hand. Fuchs apologized, said she was deeply remorseful and told the boy's mother that she had recently started a new birth control medication that was, in her words, "screwing with my emotions hard."

The matter was reported to the Royalton Police Department on Sept. 2, and referred to the Morrison County Sheriff's Office for investigation, according to the complaint.

What Fuchs told investigators

What they're saying:

The complaint states after being read her rights, Fuchs agreed to speak with investigators voluntarily. She told them the toddler was having trouble opening a door and she became angry. She said she "snapped" and "smacked" the back of his head, acknowledging it was out of character for her and that other children present could have seen or heard it happen.

Fuchs told investigators that after the head slap, she brought the boy inside and forcefully "smacked" him on his buttocks with an open hand. The boy started screaming, and she sent him outside. Fuchs admitted the force she used on his buttocks was unreasonable, that the discipline was excessive under the circumstances and that she "knew it was wrong."

The complaint states when asked about a mark on the boy's arm that the mother had noticed a couple of months earlier, Fuchs said it was possible she had grabbed him by the arm to pick him up and that could have caused bruising.

Fuchs also told investigators she had started a birth control medication about four months ago and that since then, the smallest things upset her, and she believed the medication may have contributed to her actions, according to the complaint.

The Source: Criminal charges filed in Morrison County Court.