I think it is just wrong to assume that the Krim family Nanny was just found off the street, had no references checked & was paid a pittance for salary.

NO ONE knows what the circumstances were.
Considering what a tragic occurrence this was, why jump to the conclusion that the parents didn’t practice due diligence in finding a good Nanny for their children.

Just because a Nanny does something unfathomable as this, does not mean that she was underpaid.

This certainly could have occurred w/a high-priced Nanny as well.

Don’t you know that tragedy rarely, if ever discriminates...??

Anonymous wrote:This certainly is horrific. What still haunts me is how it was never said HOW these parents found this sitter. I'm horrified to say... probably off the street, without a single reference or criminal background check. I also fear they were paying her pathetically low wages OFF the BOOKS with zero benefits.

In fact, all babysitter abuse cases never report if it was a legal worker paid on the books and had references.

If the point here is that legal workers paid well don’t do this (and if the parents hired illegally they kinda ran this risk), I have to disagree.
Counterexample: there is a big recent case in China where a (Chinese) nanny was likely well paid / treated by a wealthy family, considering that parents had given her a $15k USD loan when she said she needed help paying for her parents housing or something along those lines, which is way more than most US families would do. She was in her 30s and had several nanny jobs before as well. Then one night, while the Dad is out of town, nanny (who is a live-in) sets the house on fire, killing mom and all 3 kids. Don’t think anyone could have predicted that kind of... evil? Psychotic break? Whatever it is, it wasn’t being illegal and paid below market.

I wonder if other nannies, if she socialized with them, knew she had started acting weird. This kind of behavior doesn't come out of nowhere.

She worked for them for two years before this happened. Some bad things had happened in her personal life. I suspect that she would have done something similar to her own kids if she'd had them -- she just snapped.

Krim nanny was a naturalized US citizen for ten years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This certainly is horrific. What still haunts me is how it was never said HOW these parents found this sitter. I'm horrified to say... probably off the street, without a single reference or criminal background check. I also fear they were paying her pathetically low wages OFF the BOOKS with zero benefits.

In fact, all babysitter abuse cases never report if it was a legal worker paid on the books and had references.

Nanny here. They don't report legality of work status or payment because it's irrelevant. It can happen with anyone who suffers from mental illness of that severity, sometimes even when the person is undergoing treatment.

Don't be so naive. How can you do a criminal background check if the person is here illegally?

Anonymous wrote:This certainly is horrific. What still haunts me is how it was never said HOW these parents found this sitter. I'm horrified to say... probably off the street, without a single reference or criminal background check. I also fear they were paying her pathetically low wages OFF the BOOKS with zero benefits.

In fact, all babysitter abuse cases never report if it was a legal worker paid on the books and had references.

Nanny here. They don't report legality of work status or payment because it's irrelevant. It can happen with anyone who suffers from mental illness of that severity, sometimes even when the person is undergoing treatment.

This certainly is horrific. What still haunts me is how it was never said HOW these parents found this sitter. I'm horrified to say... probably off the street, without a single reference or criminal background check. I also fear they were paying her pathetically low wages OFF the BOOKS with zero benefits.

In fact, all babysitter abuse cases never report if it was a legal worker paid on the books and had references.

Truly this is beyond horrible. Anyone who doesn't know about this case - keep it that way - don't look it up. It will haunt you as both a nanny and an MB.

Yes, the public - nannies and parents alike - have to act on any person who starts exhibiting weird behavior or behavior unlike themselves. The mother thought the nanny was behaving unlike herself but it wasn't effecting her job (well, until...) and she did nothing about it.

Yes, this case broke my heart into pieces.

Very sad all around.

This was a rare issue thankfully.

Anonymous wrote:From a nanny's perspective, I wonder if other nannies - who saw this clearly evil or crazy nanny on a daily basis - could have said something? There had to have been signs.

What would you nannies do if you hear another nanny talking or acting weird?

This case is so horrifying to me. I am a nanny and currently helping a former employer find a new nanny for my former charge (who I love dearly) and a new baby. I am very happy with my new position but I want to help my old employers find a great nanny. This Krim situation terrifies me.

If I heard another nanny talking or acting weird, I would definitely talk to the nanny's employers. I don't know how far the law mandates that we "tell" but I certainly would.

The Krim situation is so horrible.

From a nanny's perspective, I wonder if other nannies - who saw this clearly evil or crazy nanny on a daily basis - could have said something? There had to have been signs.

What would you nannies do if you hear another nanny talking or acting weird?

This case is so horrifying to me. I am a nanny and currently helping a former employer find a new nanny for my former charge (who I love dearly) and a new baby. I am very happy with my new position but I want to help my old employers find a great nanny. This Krim situation terrifies me.