Suburban daycare operator charged after children sustained bite injuries

MATTESON, Ill. (WLS) -- A south suburban Matteson daycare operator has been charged after two children, a 7-month-old and a 20-month-old, sustained bite injuries, officials said.

Hattie Guy faces two misdemeanor counts for endangering children and one for running an unlicensed daycare at her Matteson home. Neighbors said Guy told them she was running a daycare, but they had been worried for the last six months after seeing children unsupervised and even locked outside the home at times.

Now, two families are concerned and have many questions.

Ma'Liyah Crockrell, who is 7 months old, has severe wounds on her face.

"It brings tears to my eyes because she's smiling. She doesn't know what's going on, but I do," said Tikia Robinson, Ma'Liyah's mother.

Guy told Robinson and Matteson police that the bite marks are from a 2-year-old. Robinson said the injuries look lie rug burns.

"It wasn't a 2-year-old who did this," said Deandre Crockrell, the baby's father. "I don't care what anybody says, it wasn't any 2-year-old who did this."

And there's a second family.

"If you're not licensed then you don't need to be doing anything like that," said LCharea Allen, the mother of Carleya, a 20 month-old who was also injured Wednesday.

Robinson asks: "Where were you at when all of this was going on? That's my biggest question I want to ask her, 'Where were you?'"

On Thursday, Guy denied running an unlicensed daycare, saying she has grandchildren and helps other parents.

But Ma'Liyah's parents said she has receipts to show they paid her for taking care of their child. She said they trusted her.

"She's like a friend of the family," Robinson said. "She even watched myself and my siblings when we were younger. It was somebody we were comfortable sending them to."

Their trust is now broken.

"I want to see her go to jail because I don't think any 7-month-old deserves this," Cockrell said.