2 Rancho Cucamonga caregivers held in group home abuse investigation
Police are asking people to come forward who may know more alleged victims of two caregivers accused of abusing clients with disabilities at a group home in Rancho Cucamonga.
The two caregivers, Marselyn Sihotang, 36, and Roselina Sihotang, 38, were arrested Friday after a former employee contacted state regulators and reported that clients there were being abused and neglected.
The women worked at Anyelier Home, which provides rooms and care for people with varying levels of disabilities. Investigators visited the facility and said they found two victims of abuse, though neither person could communicate with authorities, police said.
Detectives reviewed security camera footage that allegedly showed abuse. Authorities posted a 4-minute clip of the video on YouTube in hopes it would help bring to light additional abuse allegations.
In the video, a facility client wearing slippers is seen walking laps around a couch while other people sit in chairs lining the walls. A person who appears to be a caretaker stands off to the side for a few laps then pushes the client in the back as the person passes by. The caretaker does this several more times.
In footage from the same room during an evening shift, another person who appears to be a client is seen slowly getting up and walking toward the exit. A person who appears to be a caretaker, but not the same person from the earlier footage, is seen cutting off the client’s path and shoving the client forcefully back toward a chair in the corner.
The client eventually gets up and heads toward the exit again and for a second time, the caretaker cuts off the client’s path. But this time, as the client turns and heads back toward the chair in the corner, the caretaker shoves the client in the back, sending the client tumbling to the ground and into the chair, which bounces to the side.
Both women were arrested Friday on suspicion of dependent-adult abuse by a caregiver and have since been released on bail. A court appearance has not been scheduled. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (909) 477-2800.
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