Queens day care owners indicted for alleged abuse of nine infants and toddlers

Queens day care owners indicted for alleged abuse of nine infants and toddlers

QUEENS, N.Y. — A Queens couple has been indicted on multiple charges for allegedly abusing nine infants and toddlers at their home-based day care center, authorities announced. The defendants, Ilya Davydov, 48, and Ksenia Davydov, 41, are accused of physically harming children in their care, including kicking, grabbing, and dropping them, as well as shoving a soiled diaper into an infant’s mouth.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the allegations surfaced in December 2023 after an anonymous report led to an investigation by her office and the NYPD. Officials shut down the Jamaica Estates facility, KSE Service Inc., upon discovering violations, and authorities later recovered surveillance footage that allegedly showed the abuse.

“The allegations in this case are a working parent’s worst nightmare,” Katz said in a statement. “At the bare minimum, parents should be able to rely on a child’s basic needs being met and the safety of their children being assured.”

The indictment charges Ilya Davydov with five counts of attempted assault in the second degree and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child, while Ksenia Davydov faces four counts of attempted assault in the second degree and seven counts of child endangerment. If convicted, they could each face up to four years in prison per count of attempted assault.

With the case moving forward, the defendants are set to return to court on February 21, as prosecutors seek justice for the young victims and their families.