Deputies arrest 21-year-old mom seen in viral video appearing to hit, scream at baby

Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a woman Wednesday they identified as a 21-year-old mother seen in a video, which went viral, repeatedly hitting and screaming at a baby.

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The video had been circulating on social media and appeared to depict child abuse. It has been taken down from social media.

“This afternoon our office received several notifications regarding a disturbing video of a mother screaming at and hitting her child,” the sheriff’s office said in an updated social media post published about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.

“Through diligent work from MCSO [Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office] detectives and the Dayton Police Department, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Haley Ryan, was located and booked into jail with formal charges pending.”

The child is safe and in the custody of Montgomery County Children Services, according to the sheriff’s office, which thanked the community for bringing the incident to the attention of the sheriff’s office.

“Please remember, if you see something, say something!” the sheriff’s office said in its social media post.

The Dayton Police Department was aware of the incident, but the sheriff’s office has jurisdiction in the case because “this incident occurred in Harrison Township,” James Rider, DPD public information specialist, said Wednesday afternoon.

“Investigators from DPD were actively working on this case and will be partnering with any agency that may be need to ensure a thorough investigation and appropriate actions are taken to protect the child involved and bring those responsible to justice,” Rider said.

We will continue to update this story as more details become available.