Metro East couple seeks answers months after alleged daycare bite attack
Alton police are investigating
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A couple in the Metro East are still seeking answers after their 3-year-old son returned home from daycare back in February with bite marks and bruises battering his body.
“There were so many bite marks that [doctors] could not count,” said Brittani Balicki. “We discovered all these marks, and I just had no words.”
Ashley and Brittani Balicki told First Alert 4 that St. Louis Children’s Hospital doctors were deeply concerned.
Brittani says she discovered the bites on February 29 after Zaydan returned home from The Early Childhood Center in Godfrey, Illinois. The daycare is part of the Alton School District and has a special needs program, which they thought was a perfect fit for Zaydan, who is autistic and non-verbal.
“For this to just happen in less than three weeks after he started, it blows my mind because I feel like, ‘okay, somebody dropped the ball. like what’s going on?” questioned Brittani. “Somebody was negligent, they didn’t pay attention and they let my son get injured in more than just a physical way.”
The moms said they haven’t heard anything from the school district, and they want someone to be held able.
The Balickis tell First Alert 4, their son now has psychological issues from the bite attack. Telling us he now feels like he has to shield himself by hiding underneath things. First Alert 4 reached out to the Alton School District, which sent the following statement:
We wouldn’t be able to comment on a specific situation regarding someone’s child,” wrote Alton School District Superintendent Elaine Kane. “Any time an external agency such as Alton PD is conducting an investigation, the district defers to the agency.”
Wednesday, the district sent another statement saying:
“As previously stated, publicly available information pertaining to this incident is limited due to the ongoing investigation. The Alton School District was first made aware of the incident after it was reported to the Alton Police Department in February 2024, and has fully cooperated at all times with the investigation. Based on the known information at this time, there is no evidence that would suggest a school district staff member or student attending the school is responsible for causing or contributing to the injury of this child. Nonetheless, we take all matters of this nature seriously as student safety is always our top priority. As such, we will continue to cooperate with the investigation until its conclusion.”
The Alton Police Department confirmed an active investigation, but detectives wouldn’t comment further.
The Balickis say detectives told them they’ve collected DNA swabs from every person who had with their son at the daycare.
The couple doesn’t know how much further they can go without any answers.
“I don’t know. because of the way the school is acting, I don’t know what else they’re hiding,” said Brittani.
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