Mila has now turned one and is honestly the sweetest little girl ever. She is quite the little trickster trying to stand up while riding her little friends bike (see below) and is so cute and happy as you'll see in the pictures below. We are celebrating her birthday with family in the next week. We wanted to wait until all the holidays passed since her birthday is in December.
Update on the San Bernardino police department child crimes detectives. They researched the abuse and neglect that happened to Mila by one or more of 24 hour fitness' employees, via camera footage and they closed the case based on not having proof to convict someone with criminal child abuse. In order for the employees to be questioned beyond a phone interview and actually interrogated and questioned in person, detectives would have to have evidence other than the bruises and marks all over Milas body. They looked at video footage on old camera equipment that has no sound and was pixelated. They saw several children holding mila and interacting with her. 24 hour fitness has a policy that children aren't allowed to play with babies or hold them and are in a separate area however older children held Mila and one child entered the baby area had her hands on Milas legs while she was in her car seat, the employees stood and talked while this went on for 10 minutes, the camera angle was not able to see Milas face to see if she was crying or happy during this time. At no point in the hour and 20 minutes Mila attended the child care was a camera ever able to see her face, because the camera couldn't see her face or Milas expressions there was no proof that she was in distress. Although the employees admitted that Mila cried hysterically for 30 minutes straight, admitting to only paging me and not trying to find me in the gym it wasn't enough to question the employees more or ask questions to witnesses, other parents that came in and out of the child care. The detective also said he would have to see a grimace or an angry expression on the employees, or childrens face who held Mila or see Mila being hit, spanked or beat in order to have evidence/proof that there was criminal intent to hurt her. But how could he on camera footage that was so pixelated, I asked. He replied "I didn't see anything that could convict someone of child abuse". Very disheartening that there was nothing else the detective could do. No one was interviewed other than employees the first deputy talked to, who believed this was abuse and neglect, his report was written up as a criminal child abuse charge. 24 hour fitness didn't close their child care or have different employees work during the investigation. No precautions were made for other children that attend the gyms child care. The 24 hour fitness gym in Rancho Cucamonga was extremely neglectful in their child care, hired employees with no experience taking care of babies I would not trust the 2 female employees that were in charge of the children that day with anyone's children. I have gotten a full refund for me and my husbands gym pass and I am in contact with "Trust Line" the agency responsible for licensing gym, grocery stores and other places like ikea. I will not stop until adequate camera, better policies, consequences to employees, not just background checks but experience and training in child care is mandatory at these type establishments.
I share our experience so that others will be cautious and avoid the hurt and pain Mila endured through this horrific incident. Luckily she will not remember what happened. As a mother I will always remember and I will carry the pain and the look in her eyes when I picked her up from the child care in my memory forever and the trauma her little body suffered. So very sad that there are terrible people out there. They will answer to God in heaven for the suffering they caused. I pray they do not do this again to another baby or child.