Day care worker pulls out handful of toddler’s hair, throws it in trash, Kentucky cops say

A day care worker accused of intentionally pulling out a handful of hair from a child’s scalp was fired and arrested, Kentucky authorities say.

The 1-year-old child was left “screaming uncontrollably” and had a bald spot following the March 11 incident at The Play Zone in Leitchfield, according to the Leitchfield Police Department.

Police said the actions by 24-year-old day Keshia Cochran were caught on surveillance video. The video shows her approaching the 16-month-old child who was playing, “grabbing his head and pulling a very large chunk of hair from his head,” according to the criminal complaint.

“We don’t pull hair,” Cochran told the child, police said. It’s unclear if the boy was misbehaving before the worker’s alleged actions.

As the toddler began to scream and cry, Cochran walked to a trash can and brushed the child’s hair off her hands, according to the complaint.

Cochran had pulled “a substantial amount of hair,” leaving the boy with a 6-centimeter bald spot, authorities said in a news release.

The child was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

Cochran, who was interviewed a day after the incident, said she intentionally pulled out the toddler’s hair, investigators said. A motive was not specified.

Cochran was charged with first-degree criminal abuse, court records show.

Leitchfield is about a 75-mile drive southwest from Louisville.

This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Day care worker pulls out handful of toddler’s hair, throws it in trash, Kentucky cops say."