‘How does this happen?’ Toddler bitten eight times at Arizona day care, parents say

When Rylee Umsted picked up his daughter Mila at an Arizona day care Thursday, workers told him another child had bitten the 15-month-old, KPHO reported.

“I lifted up her shirt just a little bit, and it freaked me out,” Umsted said, according to the station. “I froze up, just shocked.”

Umsted and Rocio Enriquez, Mila’s mother, counted eight bite marks on their daughter’s back, KSAZ reported.

“How does this happen?” Enriquez said, according to the station. “I immediately come home and inspected her and I definitely saw red marks and I’m like, what happened to my child?”

The Phoenix day care, Sunrise Preschools, issued a statement by its president, Dana Vela, saying the incident took place “very quickly” in a room with four children while the caregiver changed another child’s diaper, KNXV reported.

The statement says the caregiver involved has been suspended without pay during an investigation, including further review of a video of the incident, and the other child has been expelled, according to the station.

“This incident was heartbreaking and unacceptable and we are working diligently to ensure it does not happen again,” Vela’s statement reads, KNXV reported.

Umsted and Enriquez want to review the video, but say Sunrise Preschools has refused on privacy grounds, KSAZ reported. “I don’t know what to do,” Umsted said.

“How did the teacher not notice it after the first bite mark?” Enriquez asked, KPHO reported. “Like, you can justify one bite mark. But eight? That’s some negligence.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 7:48 AM.