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After murder charges in death of toddler, people ask 'how young is too young to be a babysitter?'

By By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Jun 22, 2010 at 12:12 PM EDT

Story Updated: Jun 22, 2010 at 1:14 PM EDT

YORKVILLE, N.Y. (WKTV) - A 2 1/2-year-old girl is dead and her 13-year-old babysitter is charged with her murder. Police say the teen hit the child with his hand, a refrigerator door and sexually assaulted her, causing her to hemorrhage.

It happened Friday night into Saturday morning, at 1202 Ney Ave. in Yorkville. The mother of 2 1/2 year-old Melissa Calhoun told police she checked on the child around 1am and that she seemed fine at that point. Police were called to the house at 8:45 for a report of an unresponsive child. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy said the child died from cerebral edema and subdural hematomas due to blunt force trauma.

The incident has many people wondering- how young is too young to babysit? And how young of a child should a 13-year-old be responsible for?

Among such comments and questions on the NEWSChannel 2 website:

"...I can't help but feel the mother should have known better than to leave a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old with a 13-year-old boy...," says 'newyorkmills66'.

There is no age minimum for babysitting in New York State. There is no state law setting age minimums for babysitters or the children they watch, although a spokesperson for NY State Assemblywoman Roann Destito says it's something lawmakers might look at in light of this incident.

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