As a working mother, Krystin Collier relied on the support of others for childcare.
To help balance her career and mom duties, Collier tells PEOPLE she first turned to Clarkston First Baptist Academy Daycare — “a place I trusted to take care of my son” — in December 2021, when he was two years old.
July 6 was the last day her son would step foot inside the Clarkston, Ga., daycare.
On that day, she says her 3-year-old boy allegedly came home with visible signs of abuse.
“My son was hysterical and unable to speak,” Collier recalls. “He was missing a shoe, and his face was swollen. I also noticed markings of fingernails that were dug into his skin.”
She says when she confronted the daycare about the alleged injuries, they told her they only saw “tension” between the boy and the workers after reviewing surveillance footage of that day.
Krystin Collier and her son.Jackie Patterson
Collier then requested to view the video herself.
“It was unbelievable,” Collier adds. “We were wondering why he still hadn’t adjusted to daycare after six months.”
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Collier’s attorney Jackie Patterson says he believes the alleged abuse was ongoing.
“With that tape that we saw, it had to be a pattern,” Patterson says. “That type of abuse has to be more than a one-time thing, and the child’s behavior had changed for quite some time before the abuse was discovered.”
Autumn Coney, Bernetta Glover.DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office (2)
Since the abuse allegations, daycare workers Bernetta Glover and Autumn Coney have both been charged with first-degree cruelty to children, jail records show.
As of Wednesday, both women have bonded out of jail.
Lawyer information for Glover and Coney was unavailable. It wasn’t immediately clear if the pair entered pleas to the charges.
PEOPLE’s request for comment from the Clarkston First Baptist Church went unanswered.
source: people.com
