UNNAMED TODDLER - 16 months/ Accused: Babysitter; Ahna Bahr - St. Charles MO

Police: Babysitter gets probation for admitted abuse of infant; not first case of abuse

by KMOV.com Staff
Posted on October 4, 2013 at 9:18 AM

(KMOV) – A St. Charles County woman admitted to authorities to abusing a 16-month-old boy she was babysitting.

The boy suffered a broken leg and police say this isn’t the only child abuse case involving this woman.



Ahna Bahr, 22, from Foristell, was placed on probation for five years and can no longer babysit children.

News 4 talked to a licensed clinical social worker to find out what parents should look for when they hand their children over to a caregiver.

“It's not always that simple, often you have to watch for a pattern and that's what's really hard; children have to start being abused before you can discover that they are,” said Erin Strohbehn, licensed social worker. “If they're not excited, engaged and happy to be there with your baby then that is someone I'd be concerned about."

She said to look for explainable bruises on the "fleshy" part of the body, kids usually get hurt on the "bony" part, such as elbows, chins and knees.

Strohbehn also said to take note on how the person talks about the child. If they speak negatively about the child on a regular basis that is a person a parent should be concerned about.

http://www.khou.com/news/Police--Babysitter-gets-probation-for-admitted-abuse-of-infant-not-first-case-of-abuse-226456071.html