On July 14th, 2025, Ocala Police Department detectives responded to All Star Learning Academy after reports that infants may have been abused by a caregiver. What started as a single investigation quickly revealed allegations of repeated abuse, ignored warnings, and possible failures to protect the children as surveillance footage and interviews exposed a disturbing pattern. >> This >> I know I That's not how you get her to bed. And what prompted her to move her hand off the back of her >> telling her how I got to go to sleep by day. You have to let her like fall asleep on her own or either rock her to sleep. And eventually she let her go rolled over. And about a few minutes later she was just like so upset. She was like that. So she just went to sleep on >> Was it like a crying like she was crying upset or was it like she was trying to catch her breath? >> Like Kind of both. Like if you cry for so long that you're like Like you >> Like hyperventilating a little bit? >> Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. >> I got you. Um What did you do at that point? >> I never went over to like I just let her like go to sleep on her own, but I just kept telling her like you you can't do that. Like you have to let them either fall asleep on their own or rock them in the rocking chair. >> And I get that it's your shadow day. So to me What is a shadow day? Tell me what your responsibilities are as a shadow? >> Really? I'm supposed to just come in and kind of see how they run the classroom, how they their routine goes, stuff like that, the curriculum, but I didn't get any of that that day. I was just more so learning how to work the classroom. >> Okay. Is there anything they tell you not to do? >> Uh As far as like routines towards the like about the babies >> Like are you allowed to interact with the babies on a shadow day? Okay. So would you have been allowed to go over there and calm her >> Uh-huh. Yeah, at the moment I was rocking my baby to sleep. And well, after that all of the babies went to sleep and we ended up going on our break. And when I went on my break I immediately went to Miss and told her what happened. >> This is the one that's here today. >> Okay. The director. do. >> And when you told her what happened, what happened? >> Um she Well, I didn't see it, but she told me that she spoke to the regional director. I just know her by Miss I don't know her last name or anything like that. I also never met her, but she said she immediately told her um about Miss Carla. >> Okay. Have you seen anything since then? >> Um more so just like a little roughness and then just like comments towards the babies. Like just rude comments. Like she told one baby, her name is She's not here today. She's kind of like also Oh, she only comes like a few days out of the week, but she's also a like fussy baby. Like she cries more than the normal, but you just have to know them and how >> Yeah. >> to calm them down. >> Yeah. >> But she was saying like we were eating lunch and she was like, "I can't wait for you to get your uh your bottle so you can go to sleep and hopefully you sleep through tomorrow." That's what she told me. And that was on Monday. Yes. >> Okay. Anything else that I should know about? >> Well, she's the babies are laying in their cribs, she just like roughly like turning them over on their bellies, but that and oh, I they rock the cribs here. Instead of like I pat the babies on their back cuz that's how I was taught, but they >> That's what I do, too. I got a 2-year-old and I got another one that'll be here in October. That's what I've always done, just pat them on the back. >> Mhm. But when I first on my shadow day, I noticed that like she rocks the whole crib to like rocks the babies to >> Okay. But is it just like a normal just rocking the baby to sleep? Has there ever been any incidents that you've seen that's more than a rocking the crib? >> No. It's That's her thing like she rocks them, but sometimes she can do it like a little vigorously. Like not to the point where she's hurting the baby, but it's more than just a normal like little rocking like that. Like sometimes it'll go like that, but that's about it. That's all of that. >> But you don't think that what from what you've seen, you don't think that's anything that she's trying to like hurt the baby. She's just trying to put them >> She's trying to put them to sleep cuz I guess that's her technique. >> Okay. Do you have any questions for us? >> Um I don't know. I don't think so. >> Okay. Do you have any questions for her? >> Have you ever seen her interact with any of the babies in the bouncers? >> Um >> Not the ones that they jump, but the ones that you would actually watch them. >> the old school bouncers. Um yeah. And then a baby But he got picked up early today. His parents were here. That's it. >> And how old is >> How old is she? >> Um We have like a I don't know if if y'all want to see them, but it's like a small one. It's like a big bouncer and it's really deep. And then one is like a smaller bouncer and it kind of sits up a little bit higher, but she kind of like puts her foot on it. She kind of like rocks it like this. So his head was kind of like coming up off off the bouncer and For it to be as deep as it is, her head shouldn't be rocking back and forth, but hers was also doing the same thing because of the the movement. So like vigorous like that. >> When did you see that? >> Um I would say that had to either be Tuesday or Wednesday cuz I only worked till Thursday last week cuz I wasn't here on Friday. But it had to be like Tuesday cuz it was early in my week. So. >> Last week? With both babies the same day? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Okay. Awesome. Well, I appreciate you talking to me. >> Yes, sir. >> And I don't have any questions for you. I'll let you get back to work. >> Okay. >> Detectives interviewed the daycare's director to establish what management knew, when they knew it, and whether staff concerns were documented and reported as required. The director's statements became key to determining if the alleged abuse could have been prevented. >> We'll just do this. You've been here 3 weeks. Tell me about it. Tell me about Tell me about have you seen anything going on? Has anybody talked to you? I just want to know like what you know. >> [snorts] >> I haven't seen anything with my eyes. The only thing I have seen was she does put her headphones in her ear. She does do that. Um The first incident was I want to say it was my first week Miss was shadowing. She went into that classroom and then cuz she has a baby, too. And she came out and she said, "I do not feel comfortable with my baby ever staying in there." And then I asked her, I said, "Well, what happened?" And she said, "Well, I witnessed her putting her face like face into the Lay her on her on her front and she couldn't breathe. So, I immediately called my boss because when I was here, I didn't have access to anything. Um so, I called my boss and I let I let her know and I said, "Hey, this is alarming, but I want to tell you this." I'm sorry. >> You ain't got to apologize to me. We're here before anybody got hurt badly. And hopefully we'll be able to nip this in the bud right now, okay? >> Yes, sir. So, I told I told my boss about it and I said, "Hey, we need to fix this because Miss is afraid for her daughter. And I told her what she had witnessed." So, >> What did you tell her what she witnessed? >> I said that when Miss was in there, the baby was she had made a muffled noise and she had looked and the baby was like smothering cuz she was Miss Carla was angry that the baby wasn't going to sleep and she was loud. Um And like the first thing I believe I remember asking Miss I like, "You know, did you say anything?" Um and, you know, she just felt uncomfortable cuz that was her shadow day. But I had Like I said, I told my boss about it and my boss had came. She was here for uh like almost a week and in the in that week Miss that came to me about what she had saw and that she was uncomfortable. She said that she showed me the video of the baby. But um >> The one in the bouncer? >> Yes. >> The baby What was the baby's name? >> So, at the time I did not know who it was. I just know that she came to me about it and she was comfortable enough to show me. She said it wasn't it wasn't to post or anything. It was just to show me for proof. So, I initially immediately went right to my boss again and I told her about it. I said, "Hey, we need to let Miss Carla go." That was my thing. I said, "We have to let her go." And she said, "Why?" I said, "This is the second person coming to me and she said that she had already talked to everybody else about it before I got here." Um that she's angry with the babies, that she does everything like everything forceful. She does a lot of stuff forceful. So, I said, "Miss Do you feel comfortable with giving me a statement? Can you write me a statement that with dates and things?" Um she did give me that. >> Is that what I have today? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. >> Um so, again, I went straight back to my boss. I said, "Okay, like basically, here's your proof. If you didn't believe anything else, here's your proof." So, I gave her that. I kept telling her, "We have to let her go." I made adjustments in the school where I could and I had someone I was going to have Miss actually go into that classroom so we can let Miss go. Um but again, every time I would go, they wouldn't let her go and I didn't have the reasons to hire or fire anybody. >> Yeah, you not reasons. You don't have the >> Well, I didn't have the authority. So, >> but I I genuinely kept saying, "We have to let her go." Like, "Everyone's getting afraid." I gave her the statement. Even over the weekend, like, I really couldn't even sleep because I I text her and she didn't She didn't respond to me. >> Your boss? >> Yes. >> Do you mind if I see the text? >> Mhm. >> Real [snorts] quick, what is your boss's name? >> L- N. >> Okay, let's try that again. Um, let me see. N? >> Yes, sir. >> Do you know her birthday or anything like that? You know anything about her besides her name? Is this her phone number I'm about to see? >> Yes, sir. I I read to her what was said, what was stated. She didn't respond back. And then I was having trouble with scanning it in because it wasn't showing any um letters. It wasn't showing anything. So, over the weekend I went ahead and resent it, but through text message. >> I got you. >> And then >> So, what you were referring to is you sent her the pictures of this letter and she didn't reply. >> She didn't reply. >> Okay. >> And then this morning when I got here, when I noticed that Ms. Carla was still here, I ended up calling her and letting her know like, "Hey, I have the movement. Can we let her go?" This is before everything started happening. Um And like even when she said can we have a call, it wasn't even about it wasn't about the situation. She had just wasn't saying anything about it. >> I got you. >> So, then once everything transpired, that's when she wants to know what is going on, um who said what, and I just She started acting like she didn't know anything. And then that was That's >> Do you mind if I I those pictures to myself while you're [ __ ] So >> she didn't say anything and that was you said that's truly what was scary. >> Because once we got on the phone, she she act like she didn't know any timelines anymore. Oh, when did you say this? Or when did this happen? And I'm like I've been contacting you. I've been telling you since I've known about it. And like that's what was scary to me. >> So what what did you feel like she was trying to do there by doing that? >> Protect herself. >> She was trying to play it off, you think? Okay. Um Did you ever ask her like has Carla been an issue before this? Like has have you did you talk to her and ask her if maybe somebody's came to her before about Carla? >> No, I told her that personally has told me she's went to when Miss was here and the other director was here, she said she had spoken to them already about it. And that nothing was going to fix and I told her that. I said, she's already talked to them before, nothing's getting fixed. So other people knew about it. >> Okay. Who was the director before you? >> Miss >> Do you know how to spell that? Like the usually the ones that come here is this like your area of the >> No, I inspect the building. >> Okay. I just seen that you guys were with like I can tell you're familiar with okay. So Do you have a good phone number for Has anybody ever reported anything to you guys prior to today about this? >> No. >> Would would it usually come to you guys? >> Yeah, I'm an investigation side. So when it gets reported to the hotline, if it gets screened in, someone like me would come out. >> So >> the licensing side. >> Okay. So when something like this happens and you have an employee that comes to a director and that director goes to their chain of command at what point is this supposed to come to you? >> The law mandates 24 hours. It shouldn't have been immediately to go up the chain. >> Okay. >> It should have been reported >> No, no, that's what I'm getting at. Okay. >> It's up to the boss to decide if it's reportable. >> I got you. I got you. So, honestly, the person that saw it happening should have made should have reported it straight to you. Instead of going up their chain. >> Called into the hotline, we called it, or come to her and both of them called at the same time. Um but by her being new, you know, >> Yeah, I'm not I'm not going to hang you up on this, so don't worry about that. That's not why I'm asking these questions. But, it's telling me that the first incident she witnessed was it looks like around March. August, September actually, is when she started here. I don't know, August, September is whenever the first thing she saw last year. And she reported it immediately to her chain of command. And the chain of command said they'd take care of it, and they didn't. So, I'm trying to see where in the chain it failed, and who all needs to go to jail. Um cuz I don't plan on arresting you. I don't plan on arresting because we would not be here with this investigation to if not been for her. And she shadowed it was her. She saw something immediately and came and told her. So, what I'm getting at is I want to know who the directors were before to see who failed these kids. And who that boss is, which is who obviously failed these kids, and sounds like she's trying to cover her steps and CYA right now. So, Carla's not the only one that's going to be leaving with me. May may not be today, but uh this is not where it stops. I just wanted it like a hey, this is what happened. I'm letting you know. Don't worry about it. I've already made the DCF report." >> Yeah. And next time you know, don't text, do emails. That's a good paper trail. Everything is in email. >> Yes, ma'am. I don't have her stuff in here. >> That's okay. Okay. So, anything else that I need to know about that you didn't tell me? >> know. >> Okay. Do you have any questions for me? >> Um >> My last question to you was was do you mind if I use your office to interview Carla so nobody's interfering with our interview? >> Okay. >> I'll let you go talk to your VP and if you don't mind sending Carla in here. We'll kind of I don't want to move your stuff. >> It's okay. I can move it over. >> You don't have any weapons or anything like that up there that she would have access to, do you? >> No, sir. >> With statements from staff and management in hand, detectives finally sat down with the woman at the center of the investigation. As investigators laid out what they had uncovered, they began asking detailed questions about her actions inside the infant classroom. The interview would become a pivotal moment in the case as detectives sought to determine whether the evidence matched her account of what had happened. >> Um before we do, tell me a little bit about yourself. How long you've been working here? What you do before? >> Um I used to work uh remote. >> Okay. >> Um 2 years. I want to go with this, switch to another one. Um basically this is my first year here at the daycare. >> Okay. >> I switched from my first job to secondly I wanted to be more close to my daughters so I can watch her. Um but but yeah. >> Okay. Um so this is your in child care? >> Yeah. >> I'm sure it's frustrating. >> Um to be honest um I mean, when I started working here, I started as a part-time. And then a full-time position opened because I needed like more hours, and I took it. But, you know when I mean, they offered me the classroom and everything, but um um like maybe two two months or two months, I started being like, you know, like in the job anymore. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> I was getting frustrated. Um I actually was out for a week because I thought that it was like a heart and it it is not it's um anxiety attacks. >> I got you. >> that I'm having. >> Okay. So, you took a week off to kind of like gather yourself and figure things out. Okay. >> I mean, the job in general um I feel like the like the only talking, I mean, a lot of people have been like I don't know. Um I don't know how to describe it, but um Last week, um a new teacher uh started working, and then I had to speak because he wasn't like helping at all, and I was like getting the pressure on me uh with having eight babies like and me doing everything. So, and then um I guess and then being by myself with four, I mean, I feel like it's so much to be honest with four. Having babies that you have to hold them and then feed them, and then that's what the accusation that I was ignoring them. When someone when one fell, I mean, I have four. I mean, if I was changing a baby, I could just could not leave a baby there if I was changing them, and then just go and like take care of the one that hurt himself. >> No, I got you. I get it. I got a two-year-old, and I got one on the way, so it's tough with just one, let alone four. I get that. >> I know that what I did was wrong. >> So, um I just want to talk about some incidents and maybe you can tell me what happened, why it happened, what was going on at that time. Looks like like March, around March of this year, there was an incident with Do you have any idea what I would be talking about? >> I mean, I know who he is, but I don't know what they said that I did. >> I got you. Um I was told that you were feeding a baby and was kind of on your leg and you shoved off and bounced on the floor with her butt and then fell backwards. Do you remember that at all? >> I mean, I sometimes I don't even remember like what I did like like I mean, my No. >> I got you. >> I don't know. >> Okay. That's not something that you remember. >> No. >> Okay. >> Even March, like I have a really bad memory. I'm sorry. >> I got you. No, you're good. There was another incident in March that would have happened with Do you know who that is? >> Yes. >> Okay. That incident happened with a baby bottle. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? >> Baby bottle. >> Um I was told that he was upset, you were going to feed him, and you were like rough, like shoving the baby bottle in his mouth, like um >> I don't know what you're talking about. >> Should have remembered that one. Um so Are you familiar with >> Yeah, I did send a message to to the parents because he was in here last week. >> Okay. So, sometime in May, there was an incident where he was you he was going to sleep, but he was fussy and you wrapped a blanket around him. Do you remember that? >> No, I mean, I know that infants tend to have a like a blanket on them. I do use blankets there. >> Okay. Okay. >> Only when when they bring toddlers, but I don't cover their little heads. But, I don't use blankets on them. >> I got you. So, I was told that you wrapped a blanket like around like his mouth to like muffle his crying. >> On his crib? >> In his crib? I don't know if it was in his crib or not. I don't know that, though. >> I don't know if they have any cameras, but I mean, I really for sure that I didn't do that. I mean, that text was not sent to me. >> No. >> But, I remember that he was on the swing and he he had a blanket, but >> Okay. >> Because I mean, sometimes they help them to calm them down, but it was not on the crib. >> Okay. Well, that person was saying that you wrapped it like folded it, wrapped it in mouth, and like tucking it behind the head to muffle their crying. Do you remember that at all? >> No. I mean, I do remember that he had a blanket, but I didn't remember that me doing that part. >> Okay. Um And then, the baby that got picked up today. >> Mhm. >> Have you had any incidents with him? >> No. I this morning was on the floor and I was um dealing with other things um doing the supplies that they brought, like diapers. And I heard that he was crying and I think maybe was maybe scratching his like around his cheek because I noticed it, but other than that, no like no situation with him. >> Okay. Can you tell me like how he interacts or you interact with him while he's in like the little bouncer? >> The >> You and the baby in a bouncer. >> I mean >> Have you ever bounced him in a bouncer? >> I put babies in there, but I don't remember if I mean, he must have been in there, but I don't remember being there last week. >> Okay. Okay. >> I know that it's a video that they showed me and >> Tell me about that. >> I mean, I don't know. That shouldn't happen without my consent. Like, someone recording me. >> I hear you on that. >> Um >> But on the same token, that person wouldn't have felt like they needed to do that had they not felt like you were being rough with the the baby. She saw what you did. >> Yeah, that that wasn't a nice like I should have She should have like, you know, that's >> Let's not focus on the whole recording part of it. Let's focus on why were you bouncing the baby like that in the bouncer? >> To calm him down. >> But you realize that that could hurt that baby. So, why would you do that? I get you get frustrated. I'm a parent myself. I get it 100%, but you got to understand that you cannot do that to that baby. Cuz like the injuries to that baby could kill the baby, you know? Bouncing with his head like that, easily their neck and their skull's not fully developed, just pop it off and that's it. Like shaken baby syndrome. So, just I I I I just What I want to understand is like, what happened? What led it to that point? Why did that happen? >> I didn't think at the moment. >> Okay. Okay. So, what led up to that? Like, what frustrated you to that point? >> Being overwhelmed. >> I feel sorry to keep you Being all alone, is that what you said? >> Overwhelmed. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I did I did ask for a part-time to go, I didn't want to be in there anymore. >> I understand. You know what? I get that, and I'm so sorry that that happened to you. But, it's okay at certain point to walk away. You know what I mean? Sometimes, if it's really affecting you like that, maybe this this place right here isn't for you. Maybe go somewhere that has the a healthy amount of staff, you know what I mean? Because nobody should be dealing with that many infants at a single time, okay? But, you signed up for it. You know what I mean? You accepted the position. So, I I just want you to think of it like if that was your baby, like would you be okay with that, you know what I mean? >> I understand. >> Yeah. So, um So, there was a You're familiar with There was an incident, I guess, in June. Do you have any idea of what what happened in June? Okay. >> I don't know what they say that I did. >> They said whenever you're feeding the baby, you were kind of just like basically trying to force-feed the baby. And they were like, "Hey, kid, don't do that. The baby could choke." >> I mean, her I don't know if I sat her on the chair, and I knew that she wasn't going to eat, and I didn't don't know if I even tried. Because if I was if I was like trying for me to feed her, she was going to spit up, or choke on the food. >> Okay. >> Every That's every time that I sat her on the I don't know, like on the chair. Every time I sat her with the bottle, >> Okay. Um and you had a shadow with you. Did something happen last Thursday that you remember. >> No. >> No. I see like the puff there. Is there something that happened you just don't want to tell me? >> I just don't remember. >> After gathering witness statements, reviewing evidence, and completing multiple interviews, detectives determined they had probable cause to move forward. The suspect was informed she was under arrest and taken into custody without incident. She was about to face multiple criminal charges as investigators continued working to determine the full extent of what had allegedly taken place inside the daycare. >> Yeah, you're placed under arrest. >> Okay, can you turn around and put your hands behind your back? >> I said she's under arrest. Go ahead and put her in the car. >> NO. >> NO. NO. LISTEN. >> STOP. YOU'RE GOING TO GET CHARGED WITH RESISTING. >> GRAB ME THE KEY. GRAB ME THE CAR KEY. GRAB BOTH. >> ALL RIGHT, RELAX. RELAX. You're fine. Relax. >> [crying and laughter] >> No, not yet. Stop quit. Stop fighting. Stop. >> it. >> Stop. >> Stop. >> Ma'am, do you have anything on you you're not supposed to have? Listen to me. Thank you for just a minute, okay? You bring anything into the jail, it's an additional felony. Do you have anything on you you're not supposed to have? >> No. >> All right, take a seat. >> [laughter] >> On August 12th, 2025, investigators arrested Carla L. Gonzalez, charging her with multiple counts of child abuse involving several infants at All Star Learning Academy. Authorities also arrested daycare supervisor Christina Marie Helsel, alleging she failed to report suspected child abuse after employees raised repeated concerns. Just 4 months later, the case took an unexpected turn. On December 18th, 2025, prosecutors dismissed all criminal charges against Carla L. Gonzalez, saying they could no longer prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. While the decision brought the criminal case against Gonzalez to a close, it left many parents and members of the community with lingering questions about what had happened inside the daycare.