The Blount County Sheriff's Office arrested two women in connection with a child abuse investigation.

Christa Walker Castleberry, 26, is charged with torture/willful abuse of a child, non-family, and Elizabeth Kasi Payne, 29, is charged with failure to report as a mandatory reporter.

Investigators received a video showing a day care worker at Blessings by Day putting a 13-month-old baby down for a nap. The sheriff's office determined the worker was using excessive force, pushing the child onto a cot with a hard frame multiple times and forcibly striking the baby in the back multiple times. The sheriff's office said the worker was Castelberry.

Payne, the day care manager, was informed of an injury to the child's eye, but investigators said she failed to report the injury to law enforcement or DHR.

Both women were arrested and posted bond at the Blount County Jail.

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