Abby Elizabeth Chosewood (Gainesville Police Dept.)
A 23-year-old babysitter in Georgia was arrested last week after she “nearly killed” the 1-year-old child she was supposed to be caring for earlier this year, allegedly suffocating or strangling the baby and causing severe injuries. Abby Elizabeth Chosewood was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of felony cruelty to children and one count of felony aggravated assault over the alleged attack, authorities announced.
“Police have charged a Gainesville babysitter with felony assault after child hurt, nearly killed,” the Gainesville Police Department wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post. “Abby Elizabeth Chosewood, 23 of Gainesville, Georgia has been charged with felony cruelty to children and felony aggravated assault. In February 2023, Chosewood allegedly suffocated and/or strangled a one year old child causing bodily harm.”
Chosewood was transported and booked into the Hall County Jail where she spent the weekend in detention and was released on Monday after posting $27,900 bond.
According to a report from Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV, the initial incident took place back in February 2023 and the arrest came after several months of investigation. However, authorities say there are still a lot of questions that are left unanswered.
“It is unthinkable and there is nothing for us to go on exactly why this did happen. This is something that we may never know – as when the child obviously is too young to tell us the truth. But obviously, Chosewood knows exactly what happened and hopefully, it’ll come out in court,” GPD Lt. Kevin Holbrook told the station in an interview.
Holbrook also noted that the family did not have a nanny camera or any other surveillance devices that could have recorded the alleged attack on their young child. Without a recording of the incident, it took authorities nearly six months to make an arrest because investigators needed that time to build a case against Chosewood.
WSB further reported that this was not Chosewood’s first run-in with law enforcement. The report states that she was previously arrested in Bulloch County, Georgia, for allegedly stealing another woman’s debit card and using it to make multiple online purchases for herself in April 2021.
Chosewood in September 2022 reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of financial transaction card theft and two counts of financial transaction card fraud in connection with that case. She was subsequently ordered to serve two years of probation.
Chosewood’s attorney reportedly refused to comment on her case when reached by a reporter from WSB.
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