An unlicensed daycare owner in Phoenix has been arrested after a child left in her care suffered a broken arm.
According to court documents, on October 6 detectives responded to Phoenix Children's Hospital in reference to an 11-month-old child with an unexplained broken arm.
When detectives interviewed the child's parents, they claimed to have no knowledge of how the injury occurred but stated that their child was left in the care of 44-year-old Roberta Kostelny. At the time, the parents were under the impression Kostelny ran a licensed daycare in Phoenix.
Court documents state that when detectives first interviewed Kostelny, she claimed she didn't notice anything wrong with the victim. She reportedly told detectives that the child was a very fussy baby and that during one incident when she couldn't get the victim to crawl to her, she admitted to lifting the child by the wrists.
Court paperwork states that during the interview, Kostelny questioned if she may have been responsible for hurting the child. Detectives conducted a second interview with Kostelny due to inconsistencies from her first, and Kostelny admitted to detectives she dropped the child onto a couch and into a crib. She also admitted to lifting the child out of a playpen by one of their arms.
When detectives asked Kostelny if she believed she broke the child's arm during this incident, she stated that she believed she did. After her confession, Kostelny called detectives back and claimed she was pressured into admitted she hurt the victim and claimed the child was not hurt at her residence, according to court documents.
Detectives noted that throughout the investigation, Kostelny's story changed multiple times. During her interview with detectives, Kostelny also admitted that her daycare was not licensed.
She was arrested and booked on child abuse charges. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for November 14.
If you are wondering if your child's daycare is licensed, you can check online with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
