Home > babysitter > Nanny Caught On Camera Suffocating Baby Multiple Times

Nanny Caught On Camera Suffocating Baby Multiple Times

August 20, 2012 at 9:21 am by Morbid

HOUSTON, TX – A woman is behind bars after hidden surveillance camera captured her abusing and repeatedly suffocating the baby she had been hired to care for.

The parents of a 4-month-old girl say they hired 48-year-old Tirza Magana before their baby was born and that she had been working for them for five months until May. That’s when they decided to install a nanny cam after noticing their daughter was acting strange and lethargic. After just one day of filming, the parents reviewed the footage and were horrified at what the it had captured.

According to court documents, the video footage shows Magana placing her hands over their child’s nose and mouth while applying pressure, causing the baby to “flail about, struggling to breathe.” She does this four times over a fifteen minute period and can even be seen switching her grip. She is also seen “holding the baby up by her head as the child’s dangling body made jerking movements.”

The parents immediately fired Magana and called police. Magana was ultimately arrested and charged with endangering a child and is in jail on a $10000 bond. If capturing your nanny suffocating your child on video wasn’t bad enough, Magana admitted to police that she had been suffocating the child multiple times a day for a month and acknowledged that she could have killed the baby.

Tags: Child Abuse, nanny cam, Suffocation, Texas, Tirza Magana

59 Comments

Comments

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NY_Mommy

Those parents have amazing self control. I imagine my story would have been more like, the mother reviewed the surveillance and then hit the nanny in the head with baseball bat. Once for each time she suffocated the baby.
Eliza Berntsen

Why the fuck do people go into jobs that require you to look after a baby/ kids/ vulnerable people when they know full well that they do not wish to do these said jobs and that all that they will do will be to hurt their charges? The fuck is wrong with people?
tkaz

Sometimes I wonder if the abusive way thay treat the kids is “normal” for them. Like they’ve been suffocating them for yrs to put them to sleep….only this time she got caught. Like the old school idea of slipping a baby some brandy – it was adopted by many no matter how bad it is. I don’t condone it, I just wonder how often this happens with “Nanny’s”.
http://www.facebook.com/karrasmithhammonds Kelly Hammonds

Another reason why I work from home. If that was me — I would have called the bitch over and beat the holy living shit out of her — suffocated her several times and then called the police. I’d gladly do my time for assault.
GuyzLoveBJ

I imagine my story going something like this if my child was being suffocated…
“oh…Ms.Magana, I have reviewed my nanny cam and I do believe it’s time to introduce your face to a curb.”
CT

How did they find this woman? I know that sometimes a whacko will slip under the radar but typically you would have to be referenced checked out the ass to get a job watching a baby if you work with a reputable group.. I realize that it is easy to want to find someone and perhaps folks skip a few steps to get what they think is a qualified person but damn – due diligence, people.

I don’t throw any Moms under the bus for having care inside or outside of the home. I’d go apeshit crazy if I stayed home with my kids all day. Any women who are able to be a SAHM are fucking saints.
JohnQknowitall

A baby is a big responsibility. The parents were aware enough to install the cam, but were they responsible enough to check in depth her references before hiring her to take on some of their most important and legal responsibilities?
JohnQknowitall

Wish I could give you a couple of likes on this one.
JohnQknowitall

But then who would take care of your child?
neenaP

References dont mean shit if they have clue this woman is a psycho, because shes never been caught before.
newstarshipsmell

Oh, come on, John, we all know that if she didn’t have family to look after them while she collected her prize, the state would happily step in to see to her children’s needs. And we all know the government never makes mistakes, which is why you can’t sue them.
JohnQknowitall

Well perhaps not working or working from home might be the answer since it is currently a two paycheck home able to hire a nanny and not just a common babysitter? Gee, I don’t know.
neenaP

In a p[perfect world parents wouldn’t gave to work and pay bills or have a job that let you stay home. A sitter that comes to your home is considered Nanny. I had that job when I was in my early 20′s and I was called a nanny, not a sitter.
JohnQknowitall

They put their child at risk. Could this have been avoided if they gave up a couple of vacations, cable tv, the better house, nicer clothes, and prestige? My guess is yes it could have been avoided.
EveryVillainIsLemons

That’s the only thing that keeps me from curb-stomping a few people I know who desperately need it. That, and they’re not worth me spending the rest of my life in prison while someone I don’t necessarily know and/or trust raises my kids.
plainbelliedsneetch

That may be the case some of the time, but Magana apparently told police she knew what she was doing could kill the baby. Most people adding a little brandy to a bottle of milk probably weren’t thinking, “Sure this could cause serious long-term problems, but it shuts him up like nobody’s business.”
JohnQknowitall

Sanity ruins day dreams everyday. Something is sad in that…
JGo555

So THAT’S how nannies are able to make kids go to sleep!? And all this time I’ve been doing so wrong. Well no more. No more stories before bedtime, no more hugs, kisses, baths, teethbrushing! From now, I’m suffocating them to sleep.
JGo555

*Fixes her halo* Why thank you. And apeshit is an understatement. Some times I want to rip my hair out, tape’em to the wall and go have a few drinks 100% alcoholic.
neenaP

Oh you know this family personally?? I have a Nanny for my son, I dont own a house and rarely go on vacation. Prestige? More like paying bills. Stop judging people who need childcare.
JohnQknowitall

Not judging people who need childcare, but I do judge people who give minimal respect to the long term responsibilities of parenthood before AND after conception.
http://www.facebook.com/karrasmithhammonds Kelly Hammonds

Obviously, I don’t entrust my children into other peoples care so it’s hypothetical, dick. This woman will probably get minimal time if any. Caretakers/parents/freaks of nature have murdered children and gotten off with barely a slap. I work with Children without Voice and it is more common than not for child abusers, rapists, and murders to get half the time if the same crime was committed on an adult. Children can’t vote so law makers don’t give two shits about them.
Angelfelina

My question is, if they had a nannycam, why did they wait until they noticed something wrong with the baby before reviewing the footage? Even if it’s not to check on the nanny’s “care”, I’d want to see what my baby had been doing while I was away…
lyssdexia

John Q – It is not always possible to forsee circumstances down the road. Life has a habit of throwing curveballs. A parent may plan of staying at home (especially with a tiny infant like this one) but then so many things can happen that require changes to the plan. I often think about how difficult it would be to try to find quality childcare in today’s society. After reading D’D for the last year, I just don’t think I could find someone that I could trust that much – WAY too many murderous wackos out there!
LadyLeopard

According to the article, they got and installed the cam after noticing the baby was lethargic.
LadyLeopard

I sure hope the baby doesn’t suffer from brain damage from all that suffocating. Poor thing! Isn’t this torture? That woman needs to get a long sentence.
Eliza Berntsen

And it will work every time!
Athena

Dude… You totally stated that these people put their child at risk (for requiring child care) so that they could keep up with the Joneses. You couldn’t judge those who use child care more blatantly had you tried. You insinuate that people who can’t afford to stay home shouldn’t have children. It’s ridiculous.

These parents may have investigated her references extremely thoroughly for all we know. They took the care to hire her before the baby was even born, suggesting this wasn’t some rushed choice. Nothin’ classy about jumping to conclusions in an attempt to blame the victims… and these parents are also victims.
onlyme356

I think they installed the cam after they noticed there was something wrong with the baby.
newstarshipsmell

Yeah, I think most families with two working parents (and more importantly, single parents) are probably struggling to make ends meet rather than paying for luxuries, etc. His argument is probably valid for more affluent middle/upper-class families, but that’s a fraction of society.

I find the negative attitude towards moms/families relying on childcare especially disturbing, since I suspect a lot of those same folks who carry that prejudice also subscribe wholeheartedly to the negative image of “welfare moms,” which obviously in the case of single moms sets them up for a damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I guess it’s their fault they can’t find a man, or something (sarcasm.)
JohnQknowitall

I know we read about this often, but it does not appear to be the case here especially with this criminal being hired a month in advance of the birth of the victim.
JohnQknowitall

Does a parent who has a child knowing he or she must use daycare make a conscious decision to put their child at some level of risk?
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

They did research. The nanny was hired through Care.com after conducting interviews and interviewing the family she had worked for previously. Nothing at all raised any flags or pointed towards her possibly suffocating their kid.
newstarshipsmell

Actually, my name is Charles, not Richard.

And I was being flippant with John, because I thought his remark was silly, not attacking you.
Athena

*Sigh*… Reductio ad absurdum. Sure, John, the same way a parent who has a child knowing they will raise that child in the city does. The same way a person with a family history of disease does. The same way a woman over the age of 35 does. The same way parents with mammal pets do. The same way parents who bring their baby home by car do. You’re talking about a level of risk that is, if not entirely statistically insignificant, quite low. Life is about making calculated risks. These parents did everything in their power, short of staying home, to do right by their child.
LuvsHorror

As far as I’m concerned, this would be justifiable homicide on the parents part.
LuvsHorror

Awesome. I would want to watch that surveillance tape with popcorn.
JohnQknowitall

Not the same calculations or issues. The others don’t require strangers.
Athena

Similar levels of risk… since that’s what you seem to be so concerned about. This stranger-danger bullshit is unfounded and I have to believe you know that somewhere in there, considering we are conscious of the fact that family and significant others present the most risk to children. Roughly 80% of preschool aged children spend some time with a non-relative child care provider each week, yet non-relative child care accounts for less than 5% of child abuse cases.
Sam

Hey, and if you do it right, you get a lie in in the morning, too!
UniqueMommy1984

I know I want to pull my hair out daily but I rather be at SAHM then risk anything like this. That is just me though. I just hope that baby doesn’t have permanent damage.
lyssdexia

John Q – I was thinking about when a couple finds out that there is an unexpected pregnancy type of thing. At that point, perhaps, the original plan of being a stay at home mom isn’t feasible, but the baby is coming anyway. Then you have to make a new plan that works for the current circumstances. I’ve seen this happen several times. Daycare wasn’t the first choice, but it became the only choice.
lyssdexia

Not to mention that, especially in these insane economic times, people’s job situations can change unexpectedly. A parent planning to stay home while the other parent works outside the home can get derailed quickly if something happens to the working parent’s income. Unplanned changes in income aren’t often anyone’s fault either. (ohhh… how can I do italics??? cool!)

Bottom line, I can’t find any reason to judge these parents, unless there is something to this story that I am missing.

Now this woman, on the other hand, I would like to use with a baseball bat for pinata practice.
newstarshipsmell

“how can I do italics???”

Enclose the text in html tags, like this, where x=
i for italics, b for bold, u for underlined, s for strikethrough
JohnQknowitall

There are choices and some may not be palatable to some (i.e., abortion, adoption, raising the child). My views on this issue are not particularly popular. Even if the child is not physically abused a good part of the child being raised is by paid caretakers (when not subsidized).One thing is for sure: good or bad intentions and whether or not a child can be supported well enough to get good nutrition, an excellent education, and QUALITY (not bs quality) time with the parent/parents the outcome is the stems from the parents ability to provide for the child. If I go further I will be disliked MORE for these views.
sweekymom

Who would vote to convict her?
JohnQknowitall

Well a jury, a judge or a coin toss will get you American justice. So just about anyone who is indifferent, into the minutia of law, or someone who hates her hair that day.
http://profile.yahoo.com/6H2DWP27QYZTVY4ZT2WL44DTFQ Patrick

How about putting a rope around the nanny’s head and holding her up with it. Following a fair trial of course. This is Texas after all.
LeaveMeBe

Whoa! I was so shocked at you getting that verbal beat down I just sat here with my mouth hanging open. You took it well and your response was very restrained. I give you a 9.
http://www.facebook.com/fudge.perculator Fudge Perculator

Stop leaving your kids with strangers. A piece of paper doesn’t mean shit. Stay at home and take care of your young, then maybe kids will be nicer and more empathic to other people’s feelings. Feminism is winning.
Athena

I know, right? Goddamn those equal rights.
Sultry Divine

Mom should stay home and look after her baby. Or the father???
tinalib13

I have a Mac, so I can use a shortcut. I press command and i at the same time. On my HP laptop, I can press control and i and it does the same thing. You could try this on your computer to see if it works. This works for bold too. control/B.
tinalib13

Ha! That made me laugh lady! :0)
tinalib13

So is Dick your new nickname?
newstarshipsmell

LOL, you can call me whatever you like, Tina. Even newstarshitsmell, if you really must.
tinalib13

Awwww…no way jose…only luv for you. <3
http://www.facebook.com/people/Patrick-Richardson/100001691531919 Patrick Richardson

Me too,if you were the baby.
http://www.facebook.com/ntrygg1 Nick Trygg

Yeah id be in jail for murder for sure if i was the parent. No question, i would have seriously fucked this cunt wipe up till dental records would have to be used for identification. I would happily do the time for the “crime”.