See the Nov. 2, 2022 update: “Brittany Myers, Former NICU Nurse, Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison Over Child Beatings.”
This time the victim’s 16-year-old sister–who, like her siblings, told authorities she’d been the victim of her mother’s physical abuse–caught her mother’s beating of her 14-year-old brother on her phone as it unfolded over five minutes the evening of Sept. 21 in the Patchogue Place house in Palm Coast.
The four segments she caught on her SnapChat app, lasting four minutes in total, have poor video quality “but the audio was very clear,” Flagler County Sheriff’s detective Augustin Rodriguez reported in the arrest report of Brittany Myers, a 38-year-old mother of five and a nurse at an AdventHealth newborn intensive care unit. (The report does not specify which campus; Palm Coast does not have a NICU unit. Daytona Beach does.)
The detective’s words describe a brutal, repeated assault of “loud smacks,” screaming, whimpering, crying, and Myers’s incessant insults of her son in the most demeaning, mocking terms as she orders him to lower his arms every time he tried to protect himself. She called him names. She mimicked his crying. She ordered him against the wall. She kicked him in his private parts when he was down and beat him over the head with a cell phone, which eventually broke. She choked him, as he would later tell detectives.
The 14-year-old boy told authorities there had been past incidents that were “sometimes worse,” with both he and one of his siblings kicked and choked in the past.
Myers was arrested on Thursday night on a charge of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony. Interviews with four of the five siblings–ages 16, 14, 9 and 7; the 2-year-old boy was not able to answer questions–revealed a pattern of alleged chronic physical and psychological abuse, stemming from Myers’s anger, of interventions by the Department of Children and Families, which had previously removed at least one child from the home, of both Myers and her husband, Marcus, coaching their children to deceive Department of Children and Families investigators “or other outside entities,” threatening them with possible homelessness if they revealed issues to DCD, and of Marcus not intervening during violent incidents:
A cell phone had been the trigger of the Sept. 21 incident. The 14-year-old boy had returned home with the phone–which, based on the arrest report’s account, had apparently been secured from the older girl’s boyfriend as a back-up to document Myers’s outbursts, in case Myers seized the girl’s phone. When Myers discovered that the boy had a phone, she demanded to know where he got it from and to have the password. The boy told her he did not know the password. She then begins to beat him and insult him. You can hear “a child whimpering and repeatedly crying out the word ‘No,'” the arrest report states. “You can hear several loud smacks,” and “As the smacks increase in quantity, the shrieking and crying from the child increase in volume. The adult female then tells the child “Shut the fuck up with your waa waa’s (mimicking the sound of crying). The adult female then tells the child ‘You don’t get your ass whooped until you sit there and lie, like a piece of shit.'”
The adult voice is heard repeatedly demanding to be given access to the phone between smacks, then actually complaining to him to move his arms because her own arm is broken, and she apparently needed unobstructed access to his body. She also happened to be naked during the entire encounter. (Myers would later tell detectives that she had “kind of a nudist family” as she declined to give them access to the many Ring cameras installed for surveillance inside the home.) At one point in Myers’s interview with detectives, she accused her son of harming her, blaming him for throwing himself on the ground any time she confronts him. That time, she said, he “threw himself to the ground and bent her toe backward,” according to the arrest report.
DCF got a report of the alleged beating on Tuesday, and was told as part of that report that the abuse “occurs often.” Child Protective Services initially interviewed the 14-year-old boy at his school–he attends one of the two middle schools in Palm Coast–and later submitted the video evidence to the Sheriff’s Office.
In a pair of interviews with authorities, Myers conceded that her oldest daughter had previously been removed from the house by DCF but said the abuse had not been verified, and blamed her daughter for lying. She then blamed a neighbor for calling in authorities about the incident on Tuesday before describing her two older children as problematic and defiant, describing her 14 year old as “lazy” and “entitled,” staying up late, not cleaning the kitchen when told to, sleeping in class and so on. She said she yells at her children but doesn’t abuse them, only spanking them–a form of child abuse not yet recognized in Florida law, as it is in some 60 countries, unless it crosses a threshold of violence defined as willful or cruel. Myers said she uses a flipflop for the spankings to create a “loud scare factor,” and never leaves bruises.
She downplayed the Sept. 21 incident as “back and forth,” and said any video of it would not be a true account because the angles wouldn’t show what was really happening. “When asked to clarify ‘back and forth,'” the report states, she said that “she spanked him, so he threw himself on the ground, then started running down the hallway so she grabbed him by the shirt and brought him back and made him stand against the wall.” She said she did not spank the 14 year old any differently than she did her 9 year old.
Forensic interviews were conducted with four of the five children by the Child Protection Team. The children described “whoopings” affecting the 14 year old most. He told authorities he believed his father was in a bedroom at the time of the Sept. 21 incident, and did not come out. When asked if he was up against the wall during that incident, he replied: “Yeah, and my Mom was choking me.” The report states that “the strangulation part occurred while he was standing against the wall and while he was on the floor. His breathing was impeded when his collar [was] pulled from behind.”
Rodriguez, the detective, showed the SnapChat clips to Myers. “After watching that video, do you think now that you hitting him the way that you did, for a minimum of four minutes, was a reasonable use of force to discipline a child?” Rodriguez asked her.
“I’m not answering that because you’re going to arrest me,” she replied.
DCF placed the children in a protective environment.
Myers was booked at the Flagler County jail Thursday evening and held on $15,000 bond. She was still there this morning, after her first appearance before County Judge Melissa Distler, who imposed a no-contact order with four of the five children or any minor children, which means the order also affects the youngest child–and children in Myers’s work capacity as a NICU nurse at AdventHealth, “where she cares for the children of others,” as her arrest report describes it.
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David S. says
Wow,so glad that her child was able to video tape this. Interesting that she is employed at Adventhealth and she treats her children this way. It’s apparent her spouse did nothing to stop this abuse. Keep her in jail I hope that she can’t post bond……..
Nursejones says
Wow! I’m a nurse and can’t imagine treating my children or my patients like this 😡 she is sick, hope she gets the punishment and help she desperately needs.
Johnny says
Thank you your Honor for taking these children away from this maniac women who doesn’t deserve to have children or be working with children.
I beg you not to give these children back to her or her husband who was in the other room and did nothing about it. If she gets these children back they will only suffer more abuse.
Sherri S-Sanders says
Unbelievable…those kids deserve better!
G A says
Abusers of all kinds are finding themselves digitally recorded for all to see. Thank God for that, because before recordings it was a lot of she said/he said with no proof to back up the child. I am glad these children have been removed, and she shouldn’t be anywhere near anyone’s children, for any reason. And what about the father who was hiding in the bedroom, who let this go on??
Trailer Bob says
Sick person with a lot of hate inside of her. I feel bad for the children.
Mark says
I wonder where her hate/frustration (root cause) comes from?
DmD says
I know her personally and I know she, herself, had a rough childhood. It’s no excuse. I never felt comfortable around her when I was young. But I have a feeling that some of her past life growing up has lead to this behavior
ASF says
Needless to say, neither Mother or Daddy dearest should EVER have custody of any children or dependent people (including disabled adults , whether related to them by blood or not) again–not now, not in the future, not EVER.
They are clearly dangerous and have forfeited any right to be in a position to harm others who are vulnerable. The o=woman should lose her nursing license permanently–and not be able to practice in any other state besides Florida either.
The benefit of the doubt should never be given to them again, no matter how much they might, in the future, claim to have found Jesus, finally gotten sober, seen the light miraculously through therapy, blahblahblah.
I hope their children get all the help they need to deal with sounds to be long-term trauma.
Greg says
I know how the kids feel. I went through much of the same when I was I kid. Brings a tear to my eye. Sooooo sad.
Michele says
I’m sorry Greg. I can’t imagine that.
Peaches McGee says
As a nurse I cannot fathom what you have done to your children. I realize nurses are people too, but only an animal beats on their children.
Say goodbye to your nursing license.
Another mother says
Animals do not beat their young. Only humans. Some animal fathers may eat or kill their offspring in order to reproduce again. Some mothers may abandon their young. Only humans will go on repeatedly beating and demeaning their children. People like this should never have access to children again. This woman obviously needs serious help of some sort. Meanwhile, she needs to understand and face what she’s been doing. I have no understanding of the father in the other room. Is he frightened of her too? I pray these children find a safe and loving home to grow up in. They will need a lot of therapy as well.
Eva says
This hurts my heart, good God. Please protect these children from this “mother” and absent “father”. Please make sure they are never at the mercy of these cruel humans again.
Inadequate says
Isn’t it a shame that children have to have video proof of abuse before the DCF will do anything. And then they return the children to the abusers.
So what type of investigation are DCF doing to miss this. Are all DCF cases so inadequate. Who’s investigating the investigators? Are you listening Gov. DeSantis
XStateCir7 says
The CPI’s do their best to investigate and can only go by what information is given, and verified. It stated that the parents had been “coaching” the children in a previous report. Is there was no physical evidence,padt involvement, police involvement or none of the neighbors stepped forward, or their family or friends, they are limited. Try working these people job, 10/16 hours at times. It’s a difficult job and trust me they do their best to ensure safety of the children within the community.
Anonymous says
This. People don’t understand how vastly understaffed DCF is and it falls back on the social worker to pick up the slack. It’s impossible to do the job of 2-3 people.
Risa says
This is my sister and all i can say if finally. She abused me and my two other siblings when her oldest two were just babys .im happy that my nephew’s and my niece are finally safe and im appalled but not surprised her husband did nothing she is just qs abusive to him i remember her throwing one of those unbreakable plates at his face and it braking on the wall eggs and toast pieces everywhere.
Risa says
It was awful. I remember the day she through me in a mental institution bc i was “a stupid whore” and didn’t listen to her .it feels so good to see my abuser finally take responsibility even if it isn’t for what she did to me and my siblings
Me Too says
So sorry you had to endure that and then watch her have children only to abuse them also.
Yolanda says
Yolanda
You got put in a mental hospital? Sounds like more to your side of the story that you’re excluding
Karen A says
The children should never been returned to her and the husband (father). They need to be placed in a healthy enviornment and be taken care of medically and emotionally, As far as her position working with children… that should be taken away as well.
Resident says
These poor kids, please don’t ever send them back to her and she needs to be fixed so she doesn’t have anymore.
Anonymous says
Oh well she’s currently pregnant with another one and isn’t telling the state and having an at home birth.
A.j says
Will the kids be better off at another place? I hope the mom get the help she needs. What about the dad, I wonder der did he just let this happen all the time. The children are scarred for life. This kind of abuse happen all the time, they just got caught. Will she loose her license I don’t know. Because of the nursing shortage and the color of her skin I dont believe she will loose her license.
Hop says
Wait a second… The wording of this article drives me crazy. “is considered abuse in 60 other countries but not here”. From the sound of it, whoever wrote this must not have children or at least teenagers. And from the sound of it, a lot of these comments are from people who don’t have kids. Raising the Billy’s of the world. “Billy don’t you dare do that, drop that weapon Billy don’t flick off your mother Billy”. You mean to tell me you have never spanked your child ? Or spanked them with a freaking flip flop on their bum?” Hop off your holier than thou freaking high horse, yea she crossed the line. Lord only knows. I hope the kids are all safe but y’all don’t even know any of them to judge the story. I hope everyone gets the help they need.
does it matter says
Hop, did you read the article,did you miss this part?
The detective’s words describe a brutal, repeated assault of “loud smacks,” screaming, whimpering, crying, and Myers’s incessant insults of her son in the most demeaning, mocking terms as she orders him to lower his arms every time he tried to protect himself. She called him names. She mimicked his crying. She ordered him against the wall. She kicked him in his private parts when he was down and beat him over the head with a cell phone, which eventually broke. She choked him, as he would later tell detectives.
Maybe it’s YOU who should also not have children if you find this behavior acceptable.
And you dont find it disturbing that she was spanking her son while she was NUDE?
Mary Fusco says
This is so sad. I have never been able to understand why women who cannot tolerate children keep having them. I doubt they will be any better off in the “system”.
Just Me says
I am not the only one that questions DCF, I feel they always seem to return the children to their abusive homes and then close out there case and there you go, more abuse against the children.
Someone needs to start investigating DCF because this seems to be a repeat story over and over again.
Anonymous says
Hi,
I know you don’t understand the inner workings of DCF. It’s not the social workers that are the problem. It is the lack of staff and incredibly poor leadership that exists there. The CPIs are tireless in what they do. It is thankless and quite honestly dangerous work. Would you take a $39k annual salary and have to be available 24/7? Would you do the job of 2-3 people because they cannot attract people to work there so caseloads are completely unmanageable? Your anger is appropriate but it is directed against the wrong people.
ASF says
Most of the tie, it is the courts that returns the children, not DCF–Many times, the courts make that determination AGAINST the recommendation of DCF.
Anita says
And she is a nurse?? I have said once and I will say it again, everyone should not have children! And she is a nurse,…… in the hospital, ……taking care of our children! So, so sad