Russian-speaking couple abused toddlers at Queens daycare

A husband and wife who ran a daycare out of their Queens home are accused of beating children as young as 11 months old, causing one child to lose his surgically implanted hearing aids, according to DNYUZ.

Ilya Davydov, 48, and Ksenia Davydova, 41, were charged this week with kicking and insulting the toddlers, hanging them by their limbs and once shoving a dirty diaper into the mouth of an 11-month-old.

The defendants appeared before Judge Gia Morris in Queens Criminal Court on Jan. 28 on charges of assault and endangering the welfare of the childIf found guilty, they face up to four years in prison for each assault.

"A parent's worst nightmare"

“This case is a working parent’s worst nightmare,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “As the mother of two boys, I understand the extreme caution parents take when researching and selecting daycare for their children. At a minimum, parents should be able to count on their child’s basic needs being met and their safety being ensured.”

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The Davydovs pleaded not guilty. They were released from custody. But they will remain under supervision. The accused surrendered their passports.

Their lawyer, Camilla Opal Russell, said on January 30 that her clients vigorously contest the charges against them.

"My clients are looking forward to their day in court," she said. "They categorically deny any wrongdoing and intend to defend themselves to the very end."

Shocking videos

The couple operated a state-licensed daycare, KSE Service Inc., out of their Jamaica Estates home. The facility was closed in December 2023, immediately following an inspection based on an anonymous tip.

During the search, police found hundreds of hours of video footage taken inside the kindergarten. The footage showed the Davydovs kicking children, throw them and throw various objects at them.

The allegations include repeated episodes in which the couple physically abused nine of their charges.

Davydova abused an 11-month-old boy on various occasions, including by shoving a clearly dirty diaper into his mouth and pressing a pillow against the infant's face. On other occasions, she held the same child upside down and threw him onto a crib. Davydova threw objects at a 14-month-old boy. Her husband hit the child on the head.

Prosecutors allege that Davydov hit a 17-month-old boy with hearing impairment. He lifted the child off the floor by the hood of his jacket. His wife lifted the child by his shirt and leg, then threw him onto a table with such force that surgically implanted hearing aids fell out of the boy's ears.

In another video, Davydov kicked a 19-month-old child in the back.