A 44-year-old daycare worker in Lindale, Texas, has been arrested after allegedly being caught on camera abusing multiple 2-year-old children over a period of several months.
Catherine Guziejka faces six counts of injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury following the investigation, which uncovered evidence of abuse at Punkin’ Doodles Day Care.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Tyler’s ABC affiliate KSLA, the abuse occurred between July and October 2024. The investigation began after an employee at the daycare reviewed security footage and saw Guziejka kicking a 2-year-old boy in the lower back while he was lying on the floor.
The employee reported the incident to the child’s father, who then contacted the Smith County Sheriff’s Office on October 23.
Upon further investigation, authorities found Guziejka had assaulted six different children a total of 134 times, with many incidents involving her kicking the children in the back while they were watching TV.
Other acts of abuse included standing on children’s hands, roughly moving them while they slept, and dragging them by the arm to changing tables. Guziejka was also seen forcing children to stare at the wall while changing them, obstructing their view of the TV.
Melanie Dawn Law, the former owner of Punkin’ Doodles Day Care, confirmed during an interview with police that Guziejka had been assaulting children since July.
Law, who sold the daycare after the abuse was discovered, stated that Guziejka was fired immediately after the abuse was reported. The daycare’s security footage was handed over to investigators.
Sheriff Larry Smith noted that the children involved in the abuse were fortunate to avoid serious injury, with only minor to medium bruising reported. He also stated that detectives are reviewing additional footage to identify any further abuse. Guziejka is currently being held in the Smith County Jail on a $450,000 bond.