Three employees at a Florida day care have been charged after investigators say surveillance video captured them striking and mistreating children as young as 1, and then trying to block interviews and hide evidence when authorities arrived to investigate.
The case has shaken parents in this Space Coast community and raised questions about how long the alleged abuse went on before it was reported. Police say the children were repeatedly hit and yanked as punishment, sometimes in view of other staff members. Investigators and state child-welfare officials are still reviewing records and videos, and police have said more victims could come forward as families learn what investigators say happened inside the center.
According to arrest affidavits, the investigation started the morning of Jan. 16, when Florida’s Department of Children and Families and the Rockledge Police Department responded to Gingerbread Manor Child Care Center after receiving allegations of abuse. The report that prompted the response alleged that teachers used physical punishment, including hitting children with open hands or a wooden spoon, and described it as common at the facility. When officers arrived, they saw a camera system aimed at classrooms and other areas and asked to view the footage, but the day care’s director, Kia Walker, became defensive and said she did not have the password, records say.
Officers removed the video system as evidence, saying they were concerned footage could be destroyed if it remained at the center, the affidavits say. Investigators later obtained search warrants for recordings covering multiple rooms, including classrooms, offices and playground areas, with video stretching from Dec. 19, 2025, through Jan. 16, 2026. Police say the videos showed repeated acts of violence toward children who were mostly between ages 1 and 4, many of whom could not clearly explain what happened to them. Attorney Brynn Brito, who said he represents several families, described the allegations as a “massive breach of trust” for parents who believed they were leaving children in safe care.
The affidavits describe specific episodes. On Dec. 19, 2025, Nativia King, 50, was recorded “willfully and intentionally” hitting multiple children in the back of the head, causing them to fall, striking children in the face, and pulling their ears, investigators wrote. The same affidavit says King left children unsupervised at times and was not seen doing activities or providing care during the hours described. Investigators also wrote that King grabbed the back of a child’s neck and pushed the child into a corner away from the cameras, and that the child returned appearing visibly upset. On Jan. 15, affidavits say King grabbed a child by the hair, pushed him to the floor, and shook him while he cried in distress, and later struck another toddler in the face “for no apparent reason.”
Stacy Hamilton Jackson, 66, is accused of using a spoon during incidents described in court records. One affidavit says that on Jan. 15, Walker could be seen poking a child in the forehead while Jackson walked through areas “hitting children with the spoon.” The following day, Jackson entered a classroom holding what investigators described as a large, black-colored spoon and struck a child on the right leg. When the child did not follow directions, Jackson “willfully and aggressively” swung the spoon and hit the child in the neck, causing her to fall, the affidavit says. Jackson then left the crying child unattended, later placed her in a chair, and slapped another child on the side of the head, causing him to fall, investigators wrote.
Authorities say the alleged abuse was not limited to a single moment or a single room. “In many videos,” investigators wrote, “one could see the suspects either hitting the children or witnessing the acts of violence.” The affidavits say the children appeared intimidated and sometimes hid when an accused worker came close. Investigators also wrote that the children seemed to anticipate being hit, describing them as conditioned to the behavior. Police have said that when investigators arrived at the center, surveillance footage showed the three suspects looking through a window, and that they then tried to interfere with the investigation by preventing children from being interviewed, attempting to rip cables from the surveillance system, and concealing the object children said was used to hit them.
All three women — King, Jackson and Walker, 52 — are charged with third-degree tampering with a witness, court records show. King and Jackson each face three counts of first-degree aggravated child abuse, and Walker faces one count of first-degree aggravated child abuse, according to the records described in the affidavits. In television coverage of a bond-court hearing, a judge did not find probable cause on a child-abuse allegation involving Walker, even as the case against her continued on a witness-tampering count, and defense lawyers argued the video evidence was improperly obtained. Police have said they removed the system to preserve evidence, and the affidavits say the department later obtained warrants to review the recordings.
Investigators also documented claims that the accused workers reached out to parents after the investigation began. One affidavit says law enforcement received multiple complaints that the suspects contacted parents or parents’ workplaces to discourage them from giving statements. Rockledge officials have described the investigation as active and ongoing and have asked families who believe their children may have been victimized at the center to contact the police. DCF has said it is conducting its own review in addition to the criminal investigation.
For families, the case has turned routine bruises and tears into something harder to explain. Brito said some parents noticed marks on children and assumed they came from normal play before the investigation revealed what police say was happening at the day care. He said families were cooperating with investigators and expected to pursue civil action. Meanwhile, the day care posted a statement on social media disputing allegations and threatening legal action over what it called false reports, while court records continued to reflect charges against the three employees.
King and Walker are scheduled for arraignment on March 3, according to the court schedule described in the affidavits. Jackson’s arraignment for that date was canceled and is expected to be reset. Police have said they are continuing to review information and interview witnesses as the case moves forward.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 13, 2026.