Photo courtesy of WESH
A Florida woman was arrested on Tuesday after she was captured on Instagram abusing her infant child, police said.
According to WFTV 9, 23-year-old Tya Posley was taken into custody at her Sanford home on Windridge Circle Tuesday morning, following several child abuse tips. However, authorities said the child was not harmed or injured during their visit to the woman’s residence.
According to the arrest report, Posley was seen yelling and pointing at the 1-year-old on an Instagram video before she started slapping the child in her face and back. “Your daddy wants to post s**t, right? He wants to fu**** post s**t and not answer the god damn phone. I hate your a**!”
The anonymous person who sent the video to the police confirmed that the alleged abuse had continued for more than a year.
After police received the horrific video, they returned to Posley’s home and arrested her for child abuse without causing great bodily harm.
When detectives interviewed the 23-year-old mother, she denied abusing the infant child. However, police were able to identify Posley as the woman beating the 1-year-old in the Instagram post.
“The video showing what this helpless infant endured is both gut-wrenching and infuriating,” Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said in a statement. “Though social media often brings about many challenges, today is a day I am grateful for it, as it brought forth swift relief and protection for this young child.”
Smith thanked the public for their quick action after the video went viral on social media.
On Tuesday, Posley was booked into the Seminole County Jail and was later released on a $2,000 bond.
The child was removed from the home by Child Protective Services (CPS).
According to Statista, child abuse cases have increased since 2018 in multiple states across the country. In 2020, there were 618,399 victims of child abuse in the United States.