Orange County nanny charged with child abuse after video shows her "striking and violently shaking" 2-month-old baby
An Orange County nanny was charged with nearly a dozen felony charges after she was allegedly caught on camera "striking and violently shaking" a 2-month-old baby she was babysitting earlier this year, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
In a news release, prosecutors said that Iara Dossantos Bomfim, a 29-year-old Anaheim woman, was arrested last week after she "returned from her native Brazil and was attempting to set up another Care.com account to advertise her nanny services."
She had previously left for Brazil on July 12 after the baby's mother discovered the alleged abuse on the family's nanny cam, the release said. Her departure came just the day after prosecutors said the baby's mother discovered disturbing camera footage over a three-month period.
Prosecutors said she checked the footage after hearing her son scream and went into the nursery to see if he was ok. After Bomfim assured her everything was fine, she reviewed the recording and saw "Bomfim sitting on a yoga ball and violently bouncing the baby as his head and neck bounced back and forth and side to side."
She also allegedly punched the baby in the back of the head with a closed fist, according to the release.
After seeing this, the mother found more footage of Bomfim "violently punching, hitting and shaking the baby starting on June 17, 2026, when he was just two months and 10 days old and continuing until he was three months and five days old," the release said.
"In one instance, the baby is seen falling off the bed headfirst while Bomfim was caring for him and, on another day, Bomfim was seen forcefully throwing the baby on the bed," prosecutors said.
Bomfim pleaded not guilty to charges and remains behind bars in lieu of $500,000, according to the release. If convicted as charged, she faces up to 18 years in state prison.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the incident a "powerful reminder to parents everywhere that evil can hide behind the friendliest of smiles and the heartiest of laughs."
"Whether it is a nanny, a coach, a music teacher, a tutor, anyone who is around your child should be fully vetted and anything suspicious must be reported to law enforcement," Spitzer's statement said. "Abuse lurks in the shadows, and it is up to all of us to shine a light on it and shield the voiceless and the defenseless from harm."
