Nanny Caught on Camera Violently Shaking 2-Month-Old Baby While Sitting on Yoga Ball — Police Say the Abuse Continued for Nearly a Month

Iara Dossantos Bomfim allegedly punched, struck and violently handled an infant entrusted to her care. The child’s mother discovered the disturbing footage after hearing her baby crying, leading to an investigation that uncovered multiple alleged incidents.

A California family believed they had found someone they could trust to care for their newborn. Instead, surveillance footage inside their Irvine home allegedly revealed weeks of abuse against their infant son. Iara Dossantos Bomfim, 29, is accused of repeatedly punching, hitting and violently shaking the baby while working as his nanny. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the alleged abuse began when the child was just over two months old and continued for approximately three weeks. Bomfim now faces 10 felony counts of child abuse.

The alleged abuse came to light on July 11, 2026, when the baby’s mother heard her son crying intensely from the nursery. She went to check on him and asked Bomfim whether everything was all right. The nanny reportedly reassured her that nothing was wrong. However, something about the situation prompted the mother to review the family’s home surveillance recordings. What she allegedly discovered was deeply disturbing. Footage from that day showed Bomfim sitting on a yoga ball while violently bouncing the infant, causing his head and neck to move back and forth and from side to side. Prosecutors also alleged that the video showed her punching the baby in the back of the head with a closed fist.

The family then reviewed approximately 30 days of recordings, uncovering what authorities described as a repeated pattern of mistreatment. According to prosecutors, the footage allegedly showed Bomfim punching, hitting and shaking the infant on multiple occasions beginning June 17, when he was only two months and 10 days old. In one incident, the baby allegedly fell headfirst off a bed while under her supervision. In another, she was reportedly captured forcefully throwing him onto the bed. Investigators said the recordings provided evidence of conduct that went far beyond a single incident or moment of poor judgment.

After the family confronted her about the footage, Bomfim allegedly left the United States for her native Brazil on July 12, just one day after the mother discovered the recordings. Authorities later said she attempted to establish another account advertising her nanny services through Care.com, the online platform where families search for childcare providers. The company reportedly removed her original profile after learning of the allegations and said its system blocked attempts to create new accounts. Care.com also confirmed that it cooperated with law enforcement.

The investigation continued for several months. On October 23, Irvine police arrested Bomfim after she returned to Southern California and allegedly attempted to advertise her childcare services again. She was charged with 10 felony counts of child abuse and pleaded not guilty. She is currently being held at the Orange County Jail on $500,000 bail. If convicted on all counts, she could face a maximum sentence of 18 years in state prison. The baby’s current medical condition and any lasting effects of the alleged abuse have not been fully disclosed publicly.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the case should remind families to carefully vet anyone entrusted with their children’s care and to report suspicious behavior. For the baby’s parents, the discovery of the recordings transformed what should have been a trusted childcare arrangement into a nightmare. Their decision to install and review a nanny camera brought the alleged conduct to light and helped investigators uncover incidents that might otherwise have remained unknown. The case is now moving through the criminal justice system, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations against Bomfim in court.

Source: Law&Crime – Nanny Captured on Camera Sitting on Yoga Ball While ‘Violently Bouncing’ Baby