US daycare owner allegedly hangs toddler, flees scene in minivan

A mother who took her child to a private daycare centre in the US has made a horrific discovery, finding a 16-month-old baby left dangling and the owner nowhere to be found.

According to police, Uptown Daycare owner Nataliia Karia fled the Minneapolis scene and ran down a number of bystanders in her gold minivan before she could be detained by officers on Saturday.

“It’s horrific, horrific,” Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Kris Arneson said.

“We never want children to be injured; that’s part of the reason we call in our chaplains. It’s a horrific scene for officers to encounter, and the victims in this case have injuries based on her actions.”

Luckily for the 16-month-old, the woman was able to cut him free and he is reportedly “doing fine” at a local hospital and "is expected to survive".

"As officers were responding to the scene they learned that an adult female had intentionally hanged a 16-month-old boy who was in her care," police said in a statement.

Police will allege Karia hit a man with her minivan and dragged him a "significant" distance after driving away from the daycare.

The man suffered broken bones and abrasions in that incident.

Just two minutes later the same gold minivan struck a cyclist, causing a broken leg.

Twenty minutes after the woman made the shocking discovery at the daycare centre, a number of citizens spotted a woman threatening to jump off a bridge over a major highway before they wrestled her to the ground.

Police arrested the woman, identified as Nataliia Karia, after the attempted murder of the toddler and she has been taken for a mental health assessment.

Karia had run a daycare facility that was legally able to take in 12 children at a time.

The investigation into the matter is continuing.