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Police investigating after 7-month-old burned at daycare

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police Department officials said they were called to St. Francis Hospital, where a woman told them a seven-month-old's face was burned at daycare Tuesday.

The child's father, William Durden, said his son’s face was burned by one of the employees at Nurturing Young Minds Preschool and now he's planning to take action.

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William Durden spoke to WHBQ as he was taking son William Durden Jr. to a doctor about the bruise to his son’s face that he said happened while at daycare.

"When you look at a seven-month-old with adult damage done to him -- with adult wounds," said William Durden.

Durden said the injury happened at Nurturing Young Minds Preschool on Tuesday. He said the employees told him it was due to a rug burn.

"He is sitting in a bouncer, and when he turns, he looks and I am like, 'This is not that bad,' but he continues to turn, and then I see the other side of his face, and I'm about to lose my mind," Durden said.

The daycare's director, Stefanie Howard, said "yes" when asked if the child’s injury happened at the establishment.

"We can't say it was a burn because we are not certain it was a burn," Howard said. "After watching the videotape, we saw some things that we deemed inappropriate and we immediately released the teachers."

Video from inside the daycare shows one of the employees taking baby William to another area of the daycare.

He said he watched another video as an employee splashed his son with either hot water, or a liquid with caustic chemicals.

"When St. Francis looked at him, they said no, this is not a carpet burn, they actually contacted the police and filed a report," Durden said.

The daycare is under investigation.