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Babysitter Facing Charges In Westmoreland Co. Shaken Baby Case

GREENSBURG (KDKA) -- A mother says her 10-month-old baby was seriously injured while a babysitter was caring for her.

Jessica Nichols, 22, of Greensburg, is now facing charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She's in the Westmoreland County Prison.

"She was unresponsive when the EMS came to pick her up. She wasn't breathing," said April Dittmar, Scylla Conner's mother. "She had no movement."

It happened last summer while Dittmar says Nichols was babysitting. The baby was flown to Children's Hospital.

"I went in there and my daughter was basically on her death bed," said Dittmar.

She says doctors determined Scylla had been the victim of shaken baby syndrome.

"She had taken blows to her face, and she was shook," said Dittmar. "She had knuckle marks all over her face."

Dittmar said she also had a serious injury to her mouth.

She says Nichols is someone she's known since middle school, and she babysat Scylla before.

"It's really emotional seeing your kid lying on a bed like that, unable to move," said Dittmar.

While Scylla still sees doctors at Children's, her prognosis is good.

And Dittmar is glad Nichols is now facing charges.

"I don't understand how people can get it in their head to do this to a baby," she said.

Dittmar says the babysitter blamed her son, saying he had pushed Scylla, and then she fell and hit her head. But she says doctors at Children's Hospital told her the injuries could not have been caused by that.

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