Abuse charges brought against daycare workers accused of scaring kids with ‘Scream’ mask

Felony child abuse charges have been filed against a Mississippi group of former daycare workers fired after video of them screaming at children while sporting a spooky mask went viral.

Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman and Shyenne Shelton are each facing three counts of felony child abuse, WTVA reported. A fifth person, Traci Hutson, was also hit with misdemeanor counts of failure to report abuse and simple assault against a minor.

The lil’ blessings daycare in Hamilton, Miss.

The charges stem from an incident at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, about 170 miles away from Mississippi’s capital Jackson. Undated video, posted on Reddit and Facebook earlier this month, shows a daycare worker with their face covered by a mask similar to the one seen in the “Scream” film franchise.

“Are you being bad? Do I need to take you outside?” the masked daycare worker asks one child, who immediately buries their face in their arms.

A day care worker is seen in this viral video in Oct. 2022, wearing a mask while working at the lil’ blessings daycare in Hamilton, Mississippi.

In another moment, the masked worker can be seen bending down and screaming in a crying child’s face as she trembles in terror.

“We are supposed to be cleaning up, monster,” says a voice from behind the camera.

The video was shared across social media platforms until it caught the eye of law enforcement, which decided to take action. The owner of the child care facility has not been charged.