CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A veteran nurse accused of neglecting a vulnerable infant admitted she showed “poor judgment,” as court records reveal new details about the case—including a texting exchange between the child’s parents and the nurse before authorities got involved.
Watch senior reporter Emily Young's full report here:
Kelly Rita Perrigo, a licensed practical nurse with over 33 years of experience, has been charged with one count of child neglect in connection with the care of a baby boy. The infant, born at just 24 weeks, required round-the-clock care provided by multiple nurses working 12-hour shifts. Perrigo was assigned to the night shift, between one and three nights a week—and, according to court documents, she was once the family’s most trusted caregiver.
In fact, Perrigo was so highly regarded that according to court records, the family invited her on vacation to help care for the baby. But that trust was broken when the child’s parents made a horrifying discovery.
The turning point came on the morning of September 14, when according to court documents, Perrigo reported that the baby’s blood sugar had dropped dangerously low—to just 26. The family later told police such a severe drop could have been fatal.
Investigators say a security camera inside the baby’s room captured footage that contradicted Perrigo’s account of feeding the child. The video allegedly shows her attempting to feed him for just two minutes before leaving the room with a full bottle—never placing it into the baby’s feeding tube, as she was instructed to always do.
Moments later, police say Perrigo appears on camera above the kitchen sink, but this time, the bottle is empty.
When questioned by police about what happened to the milk, Perrigo claimed she routinely went to the bathroom to wash her hands after handling the baby and admitted to pouring the milk out. When pressed on why, she reportedly responded: “Poor judgment.”
She also stated she hadn’t realized that skipping feedings was making the infant sicker—a claim the child’s parents strongly dispute, as they have told police it ultimately led to liver failure.
Before going to the police, the baby’s parents confronted Perrigo through text messages, messages that are now part of the court record.
“Kelly, I took this personal because I never thought you would do this to us—never in a million years,” one message from the mother reads. “That type of blood sugar could have caused him to have a seizure, a stroke, or even die if it got any lower.”
“ I used poor judgement and there is no excuse, I can promise it will never happen again but I imagine that I wont have a job anymore,” Perrigo says at one point, according to the documents.
“My heart is just broken. Completely in pieces. I don’t even know how to understand what you did. This hurt me more than anyone else—to know that my son could have died because of you, the one nurse I trusted with my family’s life.” said the mother in the documents.
“I love that boy and would never intentionally do any harm,” Perrigo texts back.
Perrigo was arrested and later released on a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court again in March, where she will face the next steps in the legal process.
Senior reporter Emily Young reached out to Team Select, the at-home care company that employed Perrigo. In a statement they said: "To protect patient privacy and comply with HIPAA, we do not publicly comment on individual patient or employment matters. We remain committed to the highest standards of patient care and take any concerns regarding patient well being seriously."
