A nurse was arrested after being accused of dumping a child's full bottles down the sink, refusing to feed them for six months.
Kelly Rita Perrigo, 62, of St. James City, is facing a felony charge of child neglect after being arrested by officers with the Cape Coral Police Department on Wednesday around 10 a.m.
On Sept. 15, 2024, police responded to a home in Cape Coral after the child's mother contacted CCPD.
The mother told police that her child has severe medical conditions that require 24/7 medical care, so they have home healthcare nurses at the residence.
She said they usually have day and night nurses, and all nurses work 12-hour shifts.
On the morning of Sept. 14, 2024, the mother said she talked to the night nurse, who was identified as Perrigo.
Perrigo, a licensed practical nurse, reportedly told her the child had low blood sugar and drank all of their nighttime bottles.
After Perrigo left the residence, the mother said she looked through surveillance video from cameras in the child's room.
According to the press release from CCPD, she saw that throughout the night, Perrigo would heat the child's bottle and attempt to feed them for about five minutes or less before putting the child in the crib and leaving the room with the full bottle.
The mother said she believed Perrigo would empty the bottles in the bathroom sink before going into the kitchen.
Looking through surveillance video, the mother said she noticed Perrgio hadn't fed the child any of its bottles since Aug. 17.
The mother also said since Perrigo started caring for her child last February, the child has had issues with gaining weight, lack of energy and has fallen into liver failure.
CCPD said the mother also told them if her child didn't drink the bottles, nurses were instructed to feed them through a GI tube, which was never seen on surveillance.
Officers looked through the video, which CCPD said confirmed the mother's claims.
DCF was reportedly notified and took a report. An investigation was launched and on Feb. 5, Perrigo went to the Cape Coral Police Department and was arrested.
Perrigo was taken to the Lee County Jail where she is facing one felony count of child neglect.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest breaking news and weather alerts.