When these parents hired a maid to take care of their son, they originally thought that she was doing a good job.
Months later, they realised that their infant son’s weight was not increasing, so they checked the security camera footage, only to discover that the maid had drugged the milk.
The First Discovery
The 47-year-old father Mr Lin told Shin Min Daily News that he hired a maid from Myanmar called Lucia to take care of his three-month-old son on 7 August 2021.
Initially, he thought that the maid had a good attitude, and she was performing her duties well. Both he and his wife had a great impression of her.
However, he did not expect that he would see the maid treating her son roughly when he checked the security camera footage in December.
Mr Lin related that there were three security cameras installed in the house: in their son’s room, living room and kitchen.
Owing to the fact that both parents needed to work, they would check the security cameras from time to time to see what their son was doing. Occasionally, they will review the old footage.
On 12 December, at around 3:44am, their son started to cry, probably because he was having trouble flipping over.
Upon being rudely awoken, the maid took the baby out of the crib to coax him back to sleep.
However, when Mr Lin scrutinised the scene, he noticed the maid harshly slapping the baby’s head before picking him up.
The next day, Mr Lin spoke to the maid and reminded Lucia to treat their son well. He emphasised that taking care of their son was the main priority; it was okay if she could not complete the housework.
The couple did not reprimand her harshly, merely choosing to observe her more.
The Second Incident
Approximately two months later, Mr Lin witnessed the maid treating his son in a rough manner again. She dragged the baby from one end of the bed to the other by the arm.
Furthermore, Mr Lin pointed out that after his son was born in June 2021, his weight would increase every month. But around March and April of this year, he noted that his son’s weight remained at 7.4kg.
After carefully going through the footage, he finally uncovered the fact that the maid was drugging his child.
Mr Lin said, “In May, I discovered the maid drugging the milk when I incidentally tapped into the security feed. While she was holding my son and feeding him milk, she suddenly opened a drawer and took out a suspicious-looking pill. Afterwards, she started shaking the bottle, walking back and forth, before she moved into blind spot of the camera to put the pill in.”
Although the blood test indicated that the child was not badly affected, he is still smaller than those of the same age. The couple are incredibly worried that his mental growth has been impacted.
Maid: It Helps With His Appetite
Upon discovering Lucia’s “medicating”, Mr Lin confronted her that day. She admitted to her actions and Mr Lin called the police.
During the police investigation, the maid confessed that she put panadol into the milk and that it wasn’t the first time she has done so. In fact, she even fed their son a Burmese pill, saying that it would help to increase his appetite.
Towards this, Mrs Lin commented, “I don’t know why she had to do this to my child. I feel incredibly distressed and I have no way of forgiving her.”
The maid was taken away by the police soon after and was arranged to stay at a maid agency.
In response to media enquiries, the police confirmed that they have received the report and that the case is under investigation.
More Than 100 Pills
Mrs Tan revealed that she accidentally discovered that Lucia had kept all kinds of medicine and the quantity was frightening.
Besides panadol, the maid apparently kept some pills for colds by the stacks, and it tallied up to more than 100 pills.
At this point, she can open her own quack pharmacy.
When Mrs Tan told her husband about it, he didn’t think too much about it at first. He merely assumed that the maid would ingest the medicine whenever she was uncomfortable.
Neither of them expected that it would be used on their son.
He also mentioned that since they still need to go to work, they have hired a new maid to take care of their son.
Naturally, they were more careful this time around.
They hope that by sharing this story, other parents can exercise greater caution.
Well, there is a reason why people say that no one will love children more than their own parents.
Featured Image: Shin Min Daily News 新明日报