Alyssa Thompson

Introduction

Alyssa Thompson is a 30-year-old daycare worker from Lake City, Florida, who was arrested on Monday, May 4, 2026, and charged with aggravated child abuse after investigators said surveillance footage captured multiple instances of alleged abuse of an infant at the Wee Care Too daycare where she worked. According to her arrest report, the video showed the baby being tossed, dropped and shaken, and the child remained hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit as of the date of Thompson’s arrest. The case drew local and national coverage after the daycare’s director reviewed the facility’s security footage and alerted police, and Wee Care Too fired Thompson. She remains presumed innocent, and the charge against her has not been proven.

Background Information

Thompson worked at Wee Care Too, a daycare on NW Gwen Lake Avenue in Lake City, in Florida’s Columbia County. She had been employed there for three months at the time of her arrest, according to the daycare, which said its hiring process included a background check and a call to her previous employer — a reference that came back with a “very strong recommendation” and confirmation of seven years of daycare experience. Investigators with the Lake City Police Department opened their inquiry on April 20, 2026, after receiving a report that a child at the facility had suffered “a medical episode consisting of seizures, being lethargic, and having a fever,” according to the arrest report.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. Everything in this section is drawn from Thompson’s arrest report and from statements by Lake City police and treating physicians as relayed in news coverage. Thompson has not admitted to any of the conduct described, the accusations are not criminally proven, and the aggravated child abuse charge has not been adjudicated. No statement from Thompson or an attorney on her behalf has been reported, and it is not currently clear whether she has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. She is presumed innocent, and a criminal charge is not a conviction.

The incidents came to light on April 20, 2026, after an infant in the facility’s care suffered a medical episode involving seizures, lethargy and fever, according to the arrest report. Police say the baby was transported to HCA Florida Lake City Hospital, where she began having seizures, and was then transferred to a pediatrics hospital in Gainesville. The daycare’s director reviewed security surveillance footage after the incident and alerted patrol officers, telling law enforcement she “found some inappropriate behavior on behalf” of Thompson.

After obtaining footage from the week prior to the incident, a detective reviewed recordings from April 20 and April 13. On April 20, the detective wrote, Thompson appeared to forcefully toss the infant into a bouncy chair, causing the baby’s head to strike a metal bar, and about 20 minutes later “snatched” the girl from a crib and dropped her onto a changing table from a significant height, her head bouncing off the table multiple times. “After Alyssa finishes changing [the infant] and when she picks her up off of the table [she] appears to be limp and not moving,” the arrest report states. “She seems to notice something is wrong and runs out of the room seeking help.”

Footage from April 13 documented additional incidents. Per the report, Thompson was observed hitting the back of a seat the baby was placed in, shaking the infant’s arm “very hard,” smacking and hitting the baby’s legs, and kicking the seat with the bottom of her foot in apparent attempts to get the infant’s attention or a response. The charging documents further allege that Thompson picked the girl “up from under the arms and rams her head into the wooden rail of the changing table.” A doctor identified in the report as the Medical Director of the Child Protective Team and the emergency room doctor at the Gainesville hospital told investigators the infant sustained a skull fracture, detached retinas, bleeding behind the eyes and significant bleeding on the brain.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, the doctor determined the documented abuse over the period in question caused the injuries, which were not believed to have come “from one singular event.” “It is a very strong possibility that [the infant] will have lifelong medical issues stemming from these instances,” the arrest report notes, citing the doctor. As of May 4, 2026, the date of Thompson’s arrest, the infant remained in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Wee Care Too issued a statement on Facebook following Thompson’s arrest, saying she was no longer employed and that it took “immediate action” to “remove the individual from our team.” The daycare said it contacted “The Department of Children and Families and law enforcement that day,” and wrote: “Out of respect for the ongoing investigation, we are limited in what we can share publicly, but please know this: we are here, we are listening, and we are committed to doing what is right–for your children and for our community.”

The severity of the on-camera allegations drew immediate local coverage in Northeast Florida and national syndication. News4JAX warned readers that the arrest report contained graphic details, and the Lake City Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Us Weekly.

Current Status

As of the most recent reporting, Thompson is being held without bond at the Columbia County Jail. She has been charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, a felony; the case is pending and has not been adjudicated, and it is not currently clear whether she has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. No trial date or further court proceedings are described in the available reporting, and the allegations against her remain unproven.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Thompson’s childcare career ended with her arrest: Wee Care Too publicly stated that she is no longer employed, cutting short a tenure of about three months at the facility. Allegations this severe — an infant allegedly tossed, dropped and shaken on camera — have attached her name permanently to a case covered from Jacksonville to national outlets, whatever the eventual outcome of the criminal case. The same hiring safeguards the daycare publicized, including the “very strong recommendation” from her previous employer, now form part of its public accounting of how she came to be hired, while she remains jailed without bond on an unresolved charge.