Local after-school care worker charged after losing child, police say

A local Pittsburgh after-school care worker is off the job and facing felony charges after police say she lost a child she was supposed to be watching.

Pittsburgh police have charged Denise Nixon with endangering the welfare of a child in connection to the late October incident.

According to the criminal complaint, Dixon was working at the after-school program inside Lincoln Elementary.

Around 5 p.m. that day, the 5-year-old girl went missing.

TRENDING NOW:

• 3-month-old girl exposed to heroin, flown to hospital
• Government shutdown: What would close; would you get your Social Security check, SNAP, WIC?
• Pittsburgh museums, cultural institutions offer free admission in February
• VIDEO: Warm up on the way

Police say she was supposed to be watching the child, but never told her supervisor about the girl disappearing. Instead, she just left work and went home.

Neighbors have some strong opinions.

"She didn't care about the kid. She don't care about the child. She cares about the money and the job,” a neighbor said.

Police said a good Samaritan eventually found the child wandering alone after she crossed over two major intersections in the Lincoln-Larimer area.

The child's mother showed up to the after-school program upset that she was never told about her little girl disappearing.

Pittsburgh Public schools told Channel 11 that Nixon has since been fired from the outside organization and the care provider has since developed and started a new safety program.

Cox Media Group