Nurse arrested; accused of not feeding Cape Coral child

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The Cape Coral Police Department says a nurse has been arrested for child neglect - after failing to feed a child in her care.

On September 14, 2024, a local mother says she was told that her child had low blood sugar and drank all of their nighttime bottles.

That nurse, according to investigators is Kelly Perrigo, a licensed practical nurse .

The mother said they usually have day and night nurses - and all nurses work 12-hour shifts.

The woman reviewed surveillance video in the child's room.

Investigators say she discovered that during the night, Perrigo would heat the child's bottle and try to feed the child for about 2 to 5 minutes.

The report says she would then put the child in the crib, and leave the room with the full bottle.

Additional surveillance video shows Perrigo pouring an empty bottle in the sink - leading the woman to believe that the suspect was emptying the bottles in the bathroom sink before going into the kitchen, the report says.

The woman believes Perrigo wasn't feeding the child any of their bottles since August 17th.

The child's mother says the suspect started caring for her child, who struggles with weight gain, low energy and liver failure, last February.

She also says if the child doesn't drink the bottles, nurses are instructed to feed the child through a GI tube - which was not seen on surveillance.

An investigation led to the licensed practical nurse's arrest on February 5th, arrested and charged with felony child neglect.