News Releases

Silver Spring In-Home Child Care Provider Charged with Abuse

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) detectives have arrested and charged Christina Dhanaraj, age 65, of the 1600 block of Winding Waye Lane, for abusing a two-year-old girl enrolled in child care that Dhanaraj provided in her Silver Spring home.

On January 12, detectives received and reviewed a video documenting an adult female, identified as Dhanaraj, abusing the child.  The video begins with the victim sitting quietly in a room inside Dhanaraj's home on Winding Waye Lane.  Dhanaraj approaches the victim and verbally scolds her.  She then delivers approximately eight open-hand slaps to the child's face; the child loudly cries.  Dhanaraj then pushes the child to the floor, grabs the victim by the head, and pushes the victim with a jerking motion. The force moved the victim out of a seated position.  Investigators believe that this incident occurred during November or December of 2017.

Dhanaraj was arrested on January 12 and was charged with second-degree child abuse.  During a police interview, Dhanaraj made admissions of committing the abuse captured on the video.  Dhanaraj was transported to the Central Processing Unit and has been released on bond.

Detectives worked with the Maryland Office of Child Care (OCC) to revoke Dhanaraj's child care provider license.

Dhanaraj provided child care in her home for approximately ten years and investigators are concerned that there may be additional victims of Dhanaraj's abuse.  Anyone with information about possible abuse is asked to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400.

Please note: The video of the abuse will not be released to the public/media at this time as this is an ongoing investigation.

RLI

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Release ID: 18-032
Media Contact: mcpnews 
Categories: child-abuse