Gwenhwyfar Frazier
A viral video is showing the world another case of nanny abuse. The video was posted by Laura Oglesby of New Bern, NC, the mother of the child who was harmed. The nanny’s name is Lauren Rowe, and the video shows her hurting a toddler named Declan because he doesn’t want to eat his dinner.
The caption includes a disclaimer that the material may be triggering for viewers, and that the family of the little boy is posting it to increase awareness.
The New Bern Sun Journal reports that the video shows Lauren Rowe pinning Declan’s arms behind his back and force-feeding him while he screams for his father. The incident allegedly occurred on October 26 of this year.
Declan repeatedly yells “No!” as well as screaming out for his father to save him. Meanwhile, Lauren Rowe eventually stops using a spoon and uses her bare hands to force food into Declan’s mouth, then holds his mouth shut so that he can’t spit it out.
Rowe was arrested on October 27 and charged with misdemeanor child abuse. Max Oglesby, Declan’s father, told reporters that Rowe caused bruises on Declan’s arm. Laura, Declan’s mother, decided to share the video so that any prospective future employers would know what Rowe is capable of.
“We put it out there because if people didn’t know, they would still hire her,” Max elaborated to the media. “You don’t expect it to happen to yours. She was recommended to my wife on a Facebook group for New Bern moms. She’s got a check on freaking care.com. I feel like we took the right steps.”
In her second TikTok video on the matter, Laura makes it clear that the Oglesbys interviewed Rowe at length before leaving her with their children; they also made sure that she was aware that they had nanny cams in every room. Laura Oglesby has stated that the alleged abuse featured in the video was “only a small clip; it continued on.”
The New Bern Police Department has said it will be reviewing additional footage of Rowe’s conduct in the Oglesby home.