NEED TO KNOW
- A Wisconsin daycare worker has been charged with one felony count of child abuse
- Ashley Karschnick, 32, is accused by police of breaking a 3-month-old baby’s arm after video footage showed her slamming the infant into a crib
- She denied the allegations while speaking with police
A daycare worker in Wisconsin was arrested and charged after allegedly breaking a 3-month-old baby’s arm, authorities said.
Ashley Karschnick, 32, has been charged with one felony count of child abuse — recklessly causing harm in connection with the incident at Lily Pad Day Care in Fond du Lac, according to a criminal complaint cited by WBAY, WLUK Fox 11 and NBC affiliate WGBA-TV.
On Oct. 13, Fond du Lac police responded to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee on a report of a 3-month-old baby with a broken arm, according to a statement from the Fond du Lac Police Department. Police claim the injury was first discovered after the child was picked up early from the daycare.
“Following a thorough investigation, which included multiple interviews and an extensive review of surveillance footage, FDLPD Detectives arrested Ashley Karschnick (32), a caretaker at Lily Pad Day Care, on October 20, 2025, for her suspected involvement in causing the injury,” the police statement reads.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by WBAY, police said that footage from the daycare allegedly showed Karschnick picking up a baby and slamming the child into a crib. Police also claimed that Karschnick looked “more and more frustrated” as the day went on, per the complaint.
“It did not appear that Ashley slammed Victim 1 down as hard as she could, but it was with enough force where you can see the side of the crib rock side to side and you can hear [a] thump from the impact on the mattress,” the complaint alleges, per WLUK Fox 11.
Police said that minutes later, Karschnick is seen swaddling the baby and taking her out of the crib, but the infant continues crying and screaming, and her arm looks limp, per the complaint cited by WBAY.
Citing a medical report, WLUK Fox 11 reported that the baby’s “humerus fracture is consistent with inflicted trauma and child physical abuse.”
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Karschnick, who was arrested on Oct. 20, reportedly denied the allegations while speaking with police.
Online court records show she posted $2,500 bond on Oct. 21 and her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 28. Karschnick was also ordered to have no contact with children under 12 but is allowed to contact her own.
It’s unclear if Karschnick has entered a plea, and PEOPLE has contacted a defense attorney listed in court records for comment.
“The safety and well-being of our community’s children will always be our highest priority,” Lieutenant Nick Hahn said in the police statement. “We understand how deeply troubling cases like this are, and we remain committed to thorough investigations, transparency, and accountability.”
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Fond du Lac Police Detective Chris Deering at (920) 322-3723, cdeering@fdl.wi.gov or the Crime Alert line at (920) 322-3740. Callers can request to remain anonymous.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
