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The New York nanny who police say fatally stabbed two children in her care was reportedly enduring financial problems and seeking professional help. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports.
The nightmarish case of a nanny accused of stabbing to death two children in her care stunned the family's well-to-do neighborhood and caused legions of parents to wonder how well they know who is watching their kids.
The nanny lay in critical condition Friday with what police said were self-inflicted knife wounds, and investigators were unable to question her, in part because she was still breathing with the help of a tube.
Her motive and mental state remained a mystery, authorities said, and no charges were filed.
On Thursday evening, the children's mother, Marina Krim, took her 3-year-old daughter home from a swim lesson to find her other youngsters, ages 2 and 6, dying of knife wounds in the bathtub of their Upper West Side apartment near Central Park. The nanny then turned the blade on herself, police said.
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Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the investigation has yet to reveal anything amiss in the household before the slayings.
There are tens of thousands of nannies working in New York City, but reports of serious violence by caregivers against children are exceedingly rare. Parents are accused of killing their own children with far more frequency.
'A horrible tragedy'
More common are stories about nannies like Brunilda Tirado, who threw her body over a stroller to protect a baby from falling debris during a building collapse in the same Manhattan neighborhood in 2005. She suffered a broken arm and other injuries.
The slayings will undoubtedly prompt many parents hiring a nanny to check references more thoroughly and swallow hard over the possibility that they might unknowingly hire a person who would do their child harm.
Andrew Burton / REUTERS
A woman looks at a memorial left outside the Krim family apartment in New York on Oct. 27, 2012.
"For working parents this is a nightmare. Every mother I know is asking today, 'How do I go back to work?'" said Denise Albert, who has two young children and lives a few blocks from the site of the tragedy.
She stopped by the building to pay her respects, recalling a painful time she had to fire a nanny after 3 1/2 years when she found out the woman was lying about where she was taking the kids.
"It's the most difficult relationship in the world," she said.
Albert said the two college students now caring for her children after school feel like members of the family.
Some parents said their trust in their nannies is unshaken.
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"It's a horrible tragedy, but it doesn't make me question my nanny at all," said Elizabeth McCarthy, a single mother of a 6-year-old boy. "For me, I found somebody I trust. She's an incredible part of my son's life. She's a wonderful person, she's raised children of her own and this doesn't make me in the least bit question anything about her."
Across the street from the building where the Krims live, several nannies with children in strollers stood as if stricken, watching police officers milling around the entrance.
Michelle Person, a nanny from Jamaica, broke down thinking about the children who were killed.
"You just feel like it was the kid that you were taking care of, too. It's horrible," she said, her eyes filling with tears.
She said she loves the 11-month-old boy she cares for as if he were her own son.
Another nanny, Karen Henry, said she felt uncomfortable walking around the neighborhood after the deaths.
"Parents are looking at you as though you're responsible for what happened," she said.
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Thin line
Multitudes of parents think of their nannies as Mary Poppins-like heroes and trust them completely, but the relationship can be a complicated one. There is maybe no other profession in which the line between family and workplace, employer and employee, is so thin.
Two years ago, New Yorkpassed a law to protect nannies from financial exploitation. The nannies commonly work 10- to 12-hour days, for an hourly wage similar to that of a full-time employee at Walmart, usually without benefits.
Sharon Weatley, a writer and actress who is a former nanny and now relies on baby sitters to take care of her daughters, ages 4 and 14, said that if the Upper West Side nanny did indeed kill the children, "she is obviously crazy and this is a chemical imbalance going on in a horrifically tragic situation."
Thursday's slayings evoked the case of Louise Woodward, a British teenager who was convicted of killing a baby in her care in Newton, Mass., in 1997. That case prompted discussion at the time about whether teenage au pairs could handle the stress of caring for a stranger's child. Woodward served less than a year in jail.
This nanny's case is different. She is older and had experience. Police said she went to the Krims on a referral from another family.
Cheryl Meyer, a psychology professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and co-author of the book "Mothers Who Kill Their Children," said that while many women who kill their kids feel trapped, in most cases a nanny who thinks she is at breaking point with a difficult child can walk out.
She said it's not uncommon to hear of a family in which the nanny or baby sitter quits, leaving a note or just never coming back.
"Moms can't do that. There's no way out for them," Meyer said. "For a nanny, there is an out."
Leave a Comment:
Terrible thing these awful crimes against children.
the mother wanted a career so she hired a nanny. housewives are not fashionable you know? breaking the glass ceiling is far more important than raising kids, cooking for your man, taking care of the home as a homemaker! she is with the times! too bad her kids aren't.
So Dirty Panties, are you saying it's the mom's fault for wanting to contribute to her family and have a life of her own by working? Why isn't it the dad's fault as well - after all he can stay home and be a homemaker too? Think about what you are saying before you post just silly remarks.
Dirty Pants...well , looking at your 'handle' you dont strike me as even having children yet....SO , with that say, you need to butt out of adult conversations as you obviously dont know what the hell you are talking about...Furthermore...what does ANY of what you said have to do with the loss of a mother's TWO, not one, children. AND before you ask, I HAVE lost a son.....so I DO know what losing a child is all about....get lost.
@dirtypanties - - - I do not believe the mother worked, but it would be ridiculous to blame the victims! Your post is of a trolling nature.
The mother is a pediatrician who gave up her career to stay home with her children. She and her husband, an executive at NBC, had enough money to hire help.
Just because they had a nanny does not mean the mom was working, and it sure as heck does not mean she was neglecting her children.
RIP sweet children. My heart goes out to this family and friends. I cannot even to begin to think of the pain these parents are going through.
I wonder if Ambien is involved...people are committing strange acts on this prescription drug, as well as suicide.
Anti-depressants also do this. They said she went to a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
I really can't help but wonder if this had anything to do with who she was for for president. in all probability she was probably leaningn toward obumma. and realized it was no place to raise kids and why put them through this.
Judd-2749800
You're SICK!
Wow, what a stupid comment.
On Thursday evening, the children's mother, Marina Krim, took her 3-year-old daughter home from a swim lesson to find her other youngsters, ages 2 and 6, dying of knife wounds in the bathtub of their Upper West Side apartment near Central Park. The nanny then turned the blade on herself, police said....
So, are we to assume from this paragraph that the mother returned, found her dying children,and at that time she witnessed the nanny doing harm to herself? Is that what the author is claiming?
I just don't know about this paragraph. It's weird.
Yes, that is correct. I read another article - New York Post, maybe? - where it states she walked into the bathroom, saw her children in the tub & then witnessed the nanny do harm to herself.
Thanks Cindy for that clarification.
From reading yesterday, it kinda led me to believe that everything had already happened by the time the mother got there.
Actually information from a number of articles stated the mother entered her apartment, which was dark, thought her children had gone somewhere, went downstairs and asked the doorman if her children left with her nanny and was told no. At that time she returned, to find the children in the bathroom and nanny on the floor, with the knife nearby. So 911 was notified and responded. The mother was hysterical and being comforted in the lobby, the children were announced dead at the hospital. A neighbor stated she heard screaming by this nanny and the phrase,"What!, You slit her throat!? " Which was about half past two.
What doesn't make sense,but then this whole thing doesn't, is this information which the neighbor stated she heard.Unless of course the nanny was already and hearing voices, is why that specific comment? It may be possible there was a second person involved who attacked the children, and the nanny. It could account for her yelling at someone, for their attacking the child, in disbelief of such an act. However, without knowing if there is forensic proof to back it up, for now it seems the nanny is the only suspect.We have already seen a number of murders where people thought it was someone that seemed to be the killer, because it was so obvious to people. Only to have it turn out to be someone else entirely. One can only hope it will turn out to be the case here as well.
At least one thing this case does demonstrate once more to the wealthier folks. No matter how rich and well off one is, crime is still going to find you. Money does not buy one a perfect world, free from becoming a victim, just like those who are poor or middle class.It is no respecter of persons nor is it a mark distinguishing that some how everyone brings it on themselves by their live styles and social class.
What the heck does being rich have to do in this ...its obvious that that doesnt matter due to what has transpired and we dont need to be reminded of that now.....Did someone say that the mom said she never thought this would happen because she's supposedly 'Rich'..get off it....
I'm grateful we had enuff money for me to be a stay~at~home mom. I cannot imagine what this mom is going thru. Rest In Peace little ones. <3
I think the nanny had a slight hearing problem. and she wasn't aware that the kids were in the bathtub with a knife. and when she walked in there she found them like that and knew she'd get blamed for it so she killed herself.
There is one thing not being mentioned: Did the nanny start taking anti-depressants?! This will make some people committ violent acts. There are thousands of documented cases of people on them who have killed and committed suicide. ELI LILY has over 50 million in lawsuits paid out because of this!
I still unable to find the words.....my hearth is pounding, and I don't want to believe........is she (the sitter)
is a mother her self?!?!?! She looks like a real psycho to me......OMG....how...and why....and how can she.....
unbelievable. As a mother of 3 (thank God they are in college, accept my youngest one who's 10)
I can't believe she is a human been.....who can harm in ANY WAY CHILDREN!!!!?????!!!!!!
Only the real psycho animal not human disgusting monster, like this ...................
I wish (so much) we still have in NY state the DEAD PENALTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My deepest sympathy for the family.
Wow Klaudia68 how did you ever pass English? You can't spell worth a d**n, you sentence structure is really bad, you're probably not even from this country. Go back to where you came from.
Really??? Brings to mind something about a pot and a kettle.
Very sad, my thoughts and prays go out to these kids.
I am concerned why someone would go to a foreign country to hire a Nanny? Was she a worker or a slave?
Slave??? Where have you been for the last 150 years? Slavery was abolished back in the 1860s. Your comment just showed how stupid and ignorant you are. You must be for Odumma.
Actually Judd, there are still cases of slavery in this country. There have been documented cases of rich people using foreigners as slaves, look it up. So Confussed is voicing a legitimate concern and you are the dummy. You must be voting for Romney.
Stories like this make me feel so fortunate that I had my parents, in particular, my Dad to leave my son with.
Rest in Peace, this family has my deepest sympathies! Hope the Nanny gets everything she deserves coming to her!
"Deranged" nanny, or, corporate bullying by banksters?
WTF?.... oh via facebook.... go back to farmville this is the real world.
This unthinkable tragedy continues to wake me up in the middle of the night. I pray for the Lord to grant this poor woman the strength she needs to even take a breath without collapsing in grief. Where are we? I can't even imagine having a nightmare this horrific. My heart sincerely bleeds profusely for these parents.
The wrath of God awaits...
In Manhattan the sidewalks are full of kids being carted about by nannies. The mother chooses to have children and then works long hours at a career while a hired nanny raises her kids. It is a selfish decision of the mother to have someone else do your job as a mother and then things like this happen. It is on the mothers head.
It sounds like you were dropped on your head...I blame your mother.
It would be best if the nanny died and saved the Krim family the horrors of a trial. Seeing what Dr. William Petit went through after his wife and two daughters were murdered and the two trials no one would want the grieving parents to endure that pain. They need to be strong for their remaining child. Such evil in the heart of this woman who was hired to give care, give comfort and kindness to three little ones. How could she be so vile? RIP, Leo and Lulu. Healing to the parents and sister, grandparents and extended family.
She must have been psychologically impaired in some way. She wasn't in her right mind. It's the only logical explanation for why she would do such a thing (assuming she is, without a doubt, the perpetrator).
Is it any worse than leaving your children with a babysitter? Nanny? Babysitter? Mom chose to leave her children entrusted to someone else's care. Had she run to the grocery store and left her children in the care of someone else, should any parent not think something this terrible is going to happen?
Except in times of financial emergency or hardship (eg. abandonment by or death of the father), mother is a full-time job. Obviously, upper-west-side families are living at a standard much higher than necessary. The lure of more and better in this materialistic society reduces the contact time mothers traditionally have with their children. To me, this is a form of selfishness that cannot be condoned. Surrogate mothers, nannies, may provide women with a little more social status but the children suffer subtle forms of deprivation no matter how loving and caring the nanny might be.
This case is tragic and far from the norm. Still, it wouldn't have happened if the mother had had the two victims with her.
that speaks volumes, perhaps all the "keyboard kops" on here should refrain from making assertions until the facts surface..???
opps .....sorry forgot where i was...by noon the posters here will have someone tried, convicted, and sentenced to all sorts of things ........carry on.......sigh...........
They keep mentioning she had financial and emotional problems, and that the mother of the children had given her extra hours to help her earn more money and had given her the name of a friend who needed someone for babysitting, but the friend had declined to use her because she seemed "grumpy."
Perhaps law enforcement needs to follow the trail of the financial problems.
Could it be that the children were murdered in front of their nanny and so she didn't want to live after what happened??
The following info is very disturbing and different from wnat the media and police are saying:
Story Recap ( Note: The only major “True Media” news website to fearlessly cover this story is BeforeItsNews.com)
October 25, 2012 – CNBC Publishes article from PR Newswire Press Release: Major Banks, Governmental Officials and Their Comrade Capitalists Targets of Spire Law Group, LLP’s Racketeering and Money Laundering Lawsuit Seeking Return of $43 Trillion to the United States Treasury
October 26, 2012 – CNN Reports that the two children of Kevin Krim, a senior vice president for CNBC Digital and former Yahoo executive were murdered.
October 27, 2012 – CNBC removed article from their website and archives