LAYTON, Utah — The number of children mistreated at a daycare on Hill Air Force Base could be higher than first disclosed as parents wait to view video of what happened to their sons and daughters.
The base commander told parents in May of last year that 37 children – age 5 and younger – may have been abused; 12 workers were suspected of abuse or not reporting it. No criminal charges have been filed.
But the Air Force went on to notify at least one more family that their child, too, may have been abused, FOX 13 has learned. No parents would go on camera with FOX 13 News out of fear of retaliation from the Air Force, but they provided documents and described their conversations with commanders and investigators.
The documents and discussions with parents also show:
- More than a year into the investigation, most parents are still waiting to see video of what transpired between daycare staff and their children and for information on what injuries, if any, they should be monitoring for.
- Parents have complained that some of the staff under suspicion continue to work at the daycare.
- The investigation could last another year.
- In December, families received a letter addressing “escalating problematic behaviors” in children at the daycare. There was no acknowledgement abuse could be a factor.
“I think it's pretty critical for parents to know, to the extent that it is known, exactly what was said or done to the child,” said Philip Baese, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
Baese, who says he has not treated any children from the Hill daycare, said adverse childhood events can put children at risk for “lots of issues – mental health issues and even physical health issues.”
FOX 13 News asked for interviews with everyone from Hill commanders to the secretary of the Air Force. Instead, the Air Force declined to answer questions and issued a statement.
“The Air Force continues to make every effort to ensure the children in our care are in a safe environment and treated by qualified providers with compassion and dignity,” the statement said. “This case is a high priority for the Air Force, and we are committed to fully investigating the allegations, which includes reviewing thousands of hours of CCTV footage as expeditiously as possible.
“To protect the integrity of this open and ongoing investigation, we cannot currently provide additional information on the case. While we endeavor to be completely transparent with parents of children enrolled at our [child development center], we have a responsibility to allow the investigative process to collect and review all available evidence and run to its conclusion.”
MILITARY READINESS
The Air Force refers to daycares like the one at Hill as “child development centers.” The center at Hill has two facilities – east and west.
The center cares for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years belonging to service personnel and Defense Department civilian employees. The Air Force considers childcare a component of military readiness, giving service members and their spouses someone to watch their sons and daughters while the parents perform their daily duties or one parent deploys abroad.
According to information shared with Hill parents, the child abuse investigation there began in early 2023. An agent from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations – “OSI” in the acronym-heavy vocabulary of the Air Force – said there was a concern about one worker at the center.
When administrators and investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage, they found more concerning behavior by the staff. That spurred agents to begin reviewing 70 days of footage – the amount retained by the center’s camera system – from late 2022 or early 2023.
Col. Jeffery G. Holland, commander of the wing that runs the center and day-to-day operations at Hill, spoke to parents at that town hall-like briefing in May of last year. That’s when he revealed those stats – 37 possible child victims and 12 providers under suspicion.
But one family who spoke to FOX 13 News said they initially were told their child was not considered a victim only to be told after that briefing with Holland that their child, too, may have been abused. Other than the figures Holland provided last year to the parents, the Air Force has not stated how many children or providers may be involved.
CLOSED CIRCUIT
One parent, who spoke at that briefing with Holland and said she had seen video of her child at the daycare, described the girl being wrapped in blankets as a restraint and then her head ricocheting off a cot when the caregiver harshly put the youngster down. The mother said there was more video she had not been allowed to view because OSI had taken over the case.
Most parents have received only descriptions of what investigators saw on video. The descriptions include children being lifted by arms or legs and kids being hit to make them comply with commands.
The Air Force has a published policy regarding closed circuit television at its child development centers. It states, “If an investigation has been initiated due to an incident, no one is allowed to view the video unless they are part of the official investigation. Viewing of the video may be allowable at the completion of the investigation.”
Some parents have been told they could try to see videos of their child or children by filing a request through the Freedom of Information Act. (A FOX 13 News Freedom of Information Act request for such videos has been pending since January.)
As of April, not even the OSI agents had looked at all the video, according to conversations relayed by parents. One agent, though, said she believed they had watched the most important footage from inside the center.
Parents have described interacting with two OSI agents, and that one of them was preparing to transfer soon. It’s not clear how much manpower OSI or the Air Force has assigned to the Hill child development center investigation. Parents have been told the investigation could last another year.
The U.S. Attorney for Utah will decide whether to indict anyone. OSI agents have told parents federal prosecutors have asked for the entire investigation into all center workers be finished before it considers any indictments. A spokeswoman for Utah U.S. Attorney Trina Higgins declined to comment.
PICKING UP
As for staff at the center, parents have been told some of those under suspicion have resigned or been terminated. Others have taken jobs elsewhere on Hill.
But as recently as this month, parents have complained that some of those providers under investigation continue to work at the center. They appear to have been moved out of child care roles and given administrative tasks, parents have told FOX 13 News, but seeing them has created anxiety when mothers and fathers drop off or pickup their kids.
Administrators have told parents that the investigation needs to finish before decisions are made about certain employees.
Some parents are also upset about that letter sent in December regarding the child behavior problems at the center. While the letter discusses working with families to address misbehavior, parents feel as though it’s putting onus on them for a situation center staff may have created.
One parent who spoke to FOX 13 News said he or she removed a child from the center and would not send the boy or girl back even if it meant the civilian spouse in the household would have to stay home to provide care. Other families are trying to find child care in Utah’s private sector.
While the Air Force has provided some information about family counseling opportunities, parents told FOX 13 News they feel isolated and without support. Most of the families are part of the migratory military lifestyle and are recent arrivals in Utah.
OTHER PROVIDERS
The investigation at Hill began as child care workers from another Air Force base were being prosecuted.
Two providers from the child development center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia pleaded guilty last year to one count each of cruelty to children. Last month, a jury convicted the former center director of failing to report child abuse. A federal judge still needs to sentence all three defendants.
Jennifer Clinton’s husband had a 23-year career in the Air Force and was stationed at Robins. Their daughter attended the center there.
“My husband deployed a lot,” Clinton said. “So, it was just me, and I work all the time. So for [the center] to be there for myself and being able to take care of my child – which I think is in a safe environment – is essential.”
Clinton’s daughter was not considered a victim in the prosecution of the Robins center workers, though Clinton suspected something was amiss in 2019. When she dropped off her then 2-year-old daughter, she would have a “pure meltdown.”
Clinton said she stuck around one day to watch the video monitors in a public area. Clinton said she saw a worker encouraging two other children to fight her daughter.
“When I brought it to the director’s attention,” Clinton said, “first she blew me off.
“Her verbatim words were, ‘If it's so horrible here, why do you keep her here?’”
Clinton, too, was told she would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to receive a copy of the video. She didn’t file it.
“My husband literally just begged me because he was so scared of being reprimanded,” Clinton said.
When asked what the Hill families may be feeling Clinton replied: “They're probably scared because to them, they're probably saying, ‘Why are they not showing me anything?’ It's, ‘Are they trying to hide something?’”
Baese, the child and adolescent psychiatrist, says child abuse by a caregiver can be a trauma for parents, too.
“It breaks down their trust in others,” Baese said.