CBS2 Exclusive: Caregiver Backs Up Allegations Of Child Abuse In Octomom Home
ROSSMOOR (CBSLA.com) — A Rossmoor woman has backed up allegations of child neglect and sexual abuse in the home of Nadya Suleman, infamously known as "Octomom."
"Gina", who only gave her first name to protect her privacy, told CBS2's Stacey Butler that she met the mother of 14 through a friend three years ago and offered to help Suleman with her children.
Gina said she visited Suleman on-and-off until Octomom asked her to take care of the kids for a few days in June.
The married mother of four said she and her daughter, Sydney, were shocked at what they discovered when they walked into Suleman's La Habra home to pick up the octuplets.
"(Sydney) opened the nursery door and said, 'Mom, there's only two cribs in here,'" said Gina. "The urine smell was just horrible."
In late August, the caregiver said she saw some of the older children, ages 6 to 11, take at least one octuplet upstairs where she found them naked in a room.
"We just took the babies out and said, 'You cannot do this. You cannot have them up there with the door locked,'" said Sydney.
Gina decided to call police and Child Protective Services when Suleman didn't do anything about the alleged physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
"Making that phone call was the hardest thing I've ever done," she said.
On Friday, the Orange County District Attorney rejected charges of abuse against Suleman.
"It's beyond disappointing. I don't understand how the D.A. could just throw (the case) out," said Gina.
Suleman responded to the shocking accusations in an interview with TMZ Friday morning.
She said, "Literally, I almost called police because she wouldn't let me take (the octuplets) back. She had them for a few days when I traveled and she got obsessed. So they started to make up lies. That one in particular wanted to do her best to take my eight and keep them. She was totally obsessed."
Gina believes she's the person Octomom was referring to in that phone call, but denied ever trying to keep Suleman from her children.
The unpaid caregiver said she had an agreement to share custody of the octuplets, which she evidenced in a text message sent to her by Suleman.
"I want to talk to you about very, very privately arranging some arrangement whereby you have the babies a few days and then I have them several, especially when I work," the message read.
Gina said she wants to adopt the octuplets, but her main goal is to make sure the children are removed from Suleman's home.
