TEEN GIRL IN COMA TORTURED BY NURSE: CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Summary

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode Title: TEEN GIRL IN COMA TORTURED BY NURSE: CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Air Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace examines the shocking abuse of a disabled, nonverbal teenage girl in a near-comatose state, tortured by her home health nurse—a crime discovered only because vigilant family set up a hidden camera. The episode explores not just the disturbing facts of the case, but also the broader issues surrounding the safeguarding of vulnerable patients, the psychology of abuse, and failures in oversight. An all-star panel, including a police chief, a medical examiner, a forensic psychologist, and a defense attorney, give expert analysis and passionate responses to a crime that rocked the St. Cloud, Florida community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Case: Torture of a Vegetative Teen Caught on Camera

• Victim’s Background:
  • 18-year-old female, developmentally disabled, nonverbal, quadriplegic, with cerebral palsy and minimal vision. Requires 24/7 care provided by rotating nurses.
• Discovery of Abuse:
  • The victim’s mother noticed unexplained scratches and subtle injuries. As a precaution, she had security cameras in place, which revealed horrifying footage of abuse by nurse Nia Ayers.
  • Abuse included taping the victim's mouth, suffocating her with a washcloth, violent shaking, forceful handling, and verbal insults.
• Duration of Abuse:
  • The nurse had worked the same night shift every Friday for over a year, and now authorities are combing through extensive footage for more evidence and potential victims.

Law Enforcement and Family Collaboration

• Interview with Chief Douglas Gerke (St. Cloud Police):
  • Emphasized the emotional toll and the mission of law enforcement to protect the most defenseless:

    "Some of the things I've seen in my career almost 25 years… it's shocking to see the videos of what occurred in this case." (03:40)

  • Praised the family for installing cameras and coming forward, noting ongoing review for additional charges.

Medical and Psychological Analysis

• Dr. Kendall Crowns, Chief Medical Examiner:
  • Explained cerebral palsy and the victim’s absolute vulnerability:

    “She has minimal vision, has minimal ability to speak, and cannot move. So she's the perfect victim in these type of nursing home or care home deaths…” (09:20)

  • Described potential medical consequences of the abuse, including suffocation risks from wet washcloths (akin to waterboarding).
• Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky, Forensic Psychologist:
  • Distinguished between “burnout” and “sadistic” abuse:

    "We're talking about systematic torture... these are sort of sadistic acts. This is a person who… is getting some type of pleasure in causing pain or emotional distress in the victim." (23:18-24:07)

  • On sadism:

    “Sadism ... talks about a person who gets pleasure from causing either emotional, psychological, or physical pain on another person.” (24:26)

The Role of Video Evidence

• Irrefutable Proof & Legal Insight:
  • Video and audio captured not only the physical abuse but also the nurse’s enraged outbursts and use of profanity against her completely helpless victim.
  • Defense attorney Ben Powers and Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky discussed the challenges and limits of defending a case with such clear and continuous surveillance:

    "A big limitation is the prosecuting victim isn't able to say whether they were in pain, ... it's all going to come down to the video and audio.” (34:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nancy Grace, regarding the extent of the abuse:

  "This little teen girl can't see, can't move any limbs, nothing. And she was tortured. I mean, it makes me want to bring back the death penalty for ag assaults." (12:49)

• Chief Gerke, on the specifics of what was seen on tape:

  “Her eyes were taped shut, aggressively shaking her head... holding a washcloth over her mouth for a prolonged period of time that appeared to obstruct her airway.” (13:44)

• Dr. Kendall Crowns, likening the washcloth act to waterboarding:

  “If that washcloth is wet, that would be similar to waterboarding techniques…” (14:44)

• Nancy Grace, on the importance of family vigilance:

  "But because of those scratches and because the mom is vigilant, it led mom to check the video. What's on the video?" (19:06)

• Chief Gerke, on consequences and moving forward:

  “Our job is to actually bring them to justice and ensure they never harm another person again.” (40:48)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Background of the Victim & Setup
  • [05:56] – [07:19]: Crime Stories Narrator and Dave Mack detail the victim's condition and care structure.
• Discovery of Abuse & Video Details
  • [13:44]: Chief Gerke’s vivid description of the acts caught on camera
  • [19:25]: Dave Mack narrates specific abuses seen on footage, including the taping and washcloth incidents.
  • [32:07] – [33:12]: Additional detailed footage including timestamps of assaults and audio evidence captured.
• Discussion on Sadism and Psychology
  • [23:18]: Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky on motivation and sadistic behavior
  • [24:26]: The clinical definition of sadism
• Charges and Legal Aspects
  • [47:42]: Chief Gerke clarifies the specific charge: aggravated abuse of a disabled adult under Florida law, with potential for more counts as video is reviewed.

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Panel & Expert Attributions

• Nancy Grace (Host, former prosecutor): provided impassioned commentary and guided tough questions.
• Chief Douglas Gerke (St. Cloud Police): law enforcement perspective, direct involvement in the investigation.
• Dr. Kendall Crowns (Chief Medical Examiner): medical context, cerebral palsy, impact of abuse.
• Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky (Forensic Psychologist): motives behind sadistic behavior, psychological implications for the offender and system.
• Dave Mack (Crime Stories investigative reporter): details from investigative reporting and timeline reconstruction.
• Ben Powers (Criminal Defense Attorney): legal defense perspective, discussing how video evidence impacts trial strategy.

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Notable Themes & Takeaways

• Vigilance of Loved Ones is Crucial:
  The horrors inflicted were only discovered due to the vigilance and suspicion of the victim’s mother, who installed and checked surveillance equipment.
• The Essential Role of Video Surveillance:
  Modern surveillance provides proof that can be the difference between ongoing, hidden abuse and accountability.
• Professional Betrayal and System Vulnerability:
  Despite background checks and credentials, predators can exist in caregiving roles; systems must allow for ongoing scrutiny and family empowerment.
• Sadism and Powerlessness:
  Abuse of power over those totally unable to defend themselves is uniquely cruel; recognizing sadism is essential for prevention, prosecution, and sentencing.
• The Importance of Law Enforcement & Legal Diligence:
  Panel emphasizes the necessity of thorough investigation, cross-checking other cases linked to the suspect, and ensuring accountability not just through arrest, but through exhaustive pursuit of justice.

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Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

• “Her eyes were taped shut, aggressively shaking her head...holding a washcloth over her mouth for a prolonged period of time that appeared to obstruct her airway.”
  — Chief Douglas Gerke (13:44)
• “Sadism or sadistic, that is, really talks about a person who gets pleasure from causing either emotional, psychological, or physical pain on another person.”
  — Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky (24:26)
• “There is a special place in hell for people like that and our job is to actually bring them to justice and ensure they never harm another person again.”
  — Chief Douglas Gerke (40:48)
• “She's cursing a vegetative state, teen girl, quadriplegic, and causing emotional turmoil.”
  — Nancy Grace (37:08)

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Conclusion

This episode is a harrowing journey through a case of egregious abuse, exposing not only the horrors one nurse inflicted on a defenseless girl but also the framework—both legal and familial—that ultimately brought the truth to light. Grace and her panel send a powerful message to listeners: always advocate for the vulnerable, trust your instincts, and know that while monsters exist, so do dedicated professionals working to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Contact Information for Tips:
Nancy Grace shares the tipline: If you know or think you know anything about this case or other cases connected to 24-year-old Nia Ayers, dial 407-891-6700.

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Transcript

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[Nancy Grace]

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[Nancy Grace]

So that means half day.

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[Nancy Grace]

I O Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a precious teen girl in a vegetative state like a coma, tortured relentlessly by a nurse. And lucky for me, it's all caught on camera. I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories, and I want to thank you for being with us.

[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

The patient couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't defend herself. But a camera caught it all. And now this Home Health nurse is behind bars.

[Nancy Grace]

Home health? My rear end. Talk about a felony defendant that's what I'm talking about. Joining me, an all star panel to make sense of what we know tonight. But first, before I even get into the facts, I want to go out to a special guest joining us who's taking time from solving crimes right now and answering calls. Chief Douglas Gerke joining a St. Cloud police department in Florida. Chief, thank you for being with us. You know what, Chief, do you ever get tired of the most vulnerable, the most defenseless, Defenseless, the weakest people in our society getting preyed upon and mistreated just for the fun of it? Do you ever get exhausted and go home and say, I give up, I quit?

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

You know, Nancy, I appreciate that and I appreciate you having me on the show. And, you know, every day we come to work, every single day to ensure that our community is not preyed on. And, you know, some of the things I've seen in my career almost 25 years, it's just, it's shocking to see the videos of what occurred in this case. Specifically, it reinvigors our mission every single day to come out and again protect those that are unable to protect themselves. And that's exactly what happened in this case. But there was a lot of things that came together to make this work. And, you know, I give a lot of credit to our detectives, but I really give a lot of credit to the family that actually had the camera set up, that recognized this, that came to law enforcement, and we partnered with them to make sure that this person is actually never able to harm another person.

[Nancy Grace]

One bad apple makes a whole bunch rotten.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Yeah. So they're, they're in every profession, Nancy, and you're 100% correct. You know, no matter what profession there is, there's always going to be someone there that has to be watched. I will tell you, I'm a paramedic myself, so I, you know, the duty to do no harm. The things that I saw here were absolutely despicable. But I will tell you, there's good people out there that actually take their job seriously. And our job is to find those that are not. I think this family knew something was wrong, which is why they set the camera up. And when they reviewed the cameras and what they saw, they saw nosebleeds, they saw everything out of this poor victim. Again, it's heartbreaking. I saw the mom last night. She came in last night. I gave her a big hug. She brought me some new videos. Unfortunately, we're going to be looking at those, too. We're going back day by day that she has video and we're going to actually look at everything because there's potentially more charges coming against this person.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, Chief, two words, nail her. Nail her. Because it's going to go on and on and on until health care workers realize they will be held accountable if they're caught. And also, I know it's not sexy. You're not like stick stopping a gunfight or jumping in in the middle of a bank robbery. You and your staff are going to be going through minute by minute a video where mostly nothing happens. But then there's that moment. There's that moment and it's a felony. Okay, let's start at the beginning. Listen.

[Crime Stories Narrator]

A mother in St. Cloud, Florida hires around the clock nursing care in her home to help care for her teenage daughter. The 18 year old is developmentally disabled, nonverbal, quadriplegic with cere, cerebral palsy and minimal vision. To cover the 247 schedule, nurses work 12 hour shifts, 7am to 7pm and 7pm to 7am in their St. Cloud, Florida home. Different nurses are used from two different services in the area to provide the nurses needed for proper care.

[Nancy Grace]

Boy, can I relate to that all star panel. I'm going to go to Dr. Kendall Crowns, but first to Dave Mack who is attireless crime stories investigative reporter. You know Dave, you have been to our home. You met my mom. That's exactly the setup that we have. When I go to work, there's somebody with her. Whenever I'm away, there is somebody with her. And I have the greatest people that I know. I know them now, I know their families, I know all about them and I trust them. I also have granny cams out the yin yang so I can see. I'm sitting right here. I could see what is happening in my mom's room. Right. But you have to trust these people. Tell me about this girl, this teen girl. She is in a vegetative state. What happened?

[Dave Mack]

We're not talking about an incident that happened, that caused this. She was born with a number of issues. She is none communicative. She is a quadriplegic, she has cerebral palsy and she has minimal vision. So she needs 24 hour round the clock care that her family has provided for her. And they go to great lengths to make sure that she's got somebody there with her all the time. They work shifts from 7pm to 7am, 7am to 7pm and in this particular case, the same nurse has been there every Friday working the 7pm to 7am Saturday morning shift for over a year. Nancy.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, My stars. No wonder Chief Gurke has a lot of video. Over a year, this minion from hell has been with this little girl, this teen girl. Let me go to Dr. Kendall Crowns. Guys. Dr. Kendall Crowns is the chief medical examiner, Tarrant County. That's Fort Worth, Texas. Never a lack of business there, I like to say. He is the esteemed lecturer at the Burnett School of Medicine at tcu, and he has just launched a hit podcast called Mayhem in the Morgue. And I've listened to it, and it is him describing very unique cases that he has worked in the past. At the beginning, you couldn't really tell what was going to happen with the cod cause of death. And then he puts it together like Hercule Poirot, and in the end, and it all makes sense. It's pretty amazing. Dr. Kendall Crowns. That's a whole nother can of worms. Dr. Crowns, could you just tell me, what does all this mean? As I like to say, I'm just a J.D. you're the M.D. now, this teen girl, developmentally disabled, she's nonverbal. I know what that means. She can't speak. She's a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and minimal vision. Okay, what is that? Potpourri of ailments? What does that mean?

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

So let's start with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition in which there is essentially brain damage and the individual does not function as well as a normal individual would. These people can have any level of consciousness, any level of disability, but she is a quadriplegic, and then she also has vision abnormalities. So she has minimal vision, has minimal ability to speak, and cannot move. So she's the perfect victim in these type of nursing home or care home deaths in which the individual gets frustrated or tired of caring for them, and then takes out their frustrations on the individual who can't speak or even see.

[Nancy Grace]

How do you get cerebral palsy?

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Cerebral palsy can be actually caused in the birthing process or in utero or when you're in the womb. There can be a lack of oxygen getting to the brain, or it can be actually congenital developmental defect. So it can also occur as the birthing procedure is happen, occurring where the procedure takes too long, or there is anoxia or lack of oxygen getting to the child as they're trying to get it out of the birth canal. And there is also a feeling that it can occur after the birth where there can be injuries associated with the birthing process.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, I don't know really exactly what you just said, but I did manage to call out. Reduced oxygen to the brain causes cerebral palsy, be it in utero, during birth or after birth.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Correct. And it can also be associated with congenital abnormalities or birth defects.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Translation. Born that way. Got it. Okay. Does cerebral palsy cause impaired vision?

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

It can be one of the things that can be associated with it. Impaired vision can also be associated with other injuries and also can be a birth defect.

[Nancy Grace]

I was just wondering if lack of oxygen to the brain also causes vision impairment. Does it?

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

It can.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. Okay. The next. The next thing. This teen girl is a quadriplegic. Explain.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

So because of the brain injury that she may have had occurred from lack of oxygen to the brain or a birth defect, Cerebral palsy. The brain doesn't function right, and it causes the limbs or the muscles to not be coordinated or to function properly. In her case, it caused quadriplegia, which means all four of her limbs are not functioning. So essentially, she's immobile.

[Nancy Grace]

You know why I'm asking this, Chief Gurke? Because listeners, and potentially a jury, needs to understand, as painful as it is to hear it. All I could think about just then while Dr. Kendall Crowns was describing how the lack of oxygen to this little girl's brain caused her to have cerebral palsy. It caused her to have minimal vision. She has four limbs, but they don't work. All I could think about is my son running free on the soccer field or my daughter doing her walk. Her hour and a half walk every day. She walks so fast, I can hardly keep up with her. Her legs are so long. This girl has never been able to move, to see, to speak. I don't know what she understands. If she can really hear what people are saying, and if she can hear them, does she understand what they're saying? When her mother speaks to. That's who the victim is. Out of all the people in the world. Okay. I'm sure you, like me, have had many drug lords gunned down. I'm like, boo hoo. This girl is so defenseless, so innocent, and yet she was, in my mind, ag assaulted. This little teen girl can't see, can't move any limbs, nothing. And she was tortured. I mean, it makes me want to bring back the death penalty for ag assaults. Chief.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

So let me tell you, this is, you know, to put this in a better perspective. And I will tell you, when I saw some of the pictures, it broke my heart, because as law enforcement, it's very difficult for us to really engage and really understand everything. Let me tell you some of the things that we did see in the video itself. You know, her eyes were taped shut, aggressively shaking her head. And with the respiratory equipment, she had a BiPAP machine. Shaking her head around, which caused scratches and potential nosebleeds. Holding a washcloth over her mouth for a prolonged period of time that appeared to obstructed her airway. You can see her moving around. So obviously the video is not releasable yet it's an active criminal case. But some of these things are what really breaks my heart, that there are horrible monsters in the world like that that are out there. And I'll be honest with you, people like that have a special place in hell, to be honest with you.

[Nancy Grace]

Do we have to wait for her to die and go to hell and let Lucifer deal with her? Can't we do a little something now, Chief, you said that she used a BiPAP machine. Dr. Kendall, crowns. What is that?

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

BiPAP machine is basically an oxygen machine that usually goes over the nose. It helps force oxygen in, and it aids in sleep apnea by keeping the airways open. Also, if she's putting a washcloth over her face, if that washcloth is wet, that would be similar to waterboarding techniques where they're essentially making them breathe in water, almost like drowning.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, in one of the videos in. Chief, I have never liked crime scene photos, but I know I have to look at them to look for elements of proof, to see what I can argue to a jury based on little details I might see in those photos. And you mentioned that the perp, according to the video, she is innocent until proven guilty. Of course, that goes without saying. At one point, when she, the health care worker, a young female, I mean, she looks like somebody I'd see when I go pick my daughter up from getting her nails done, was sitting in the next chair. The victim has her face and mouth covered, and you can see her chest heaving, trying to breathe through that wet cloth. I mean, how could she? Did you see that video, Chief?

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

I did. And it's very difficult to watch. Even as a paramedic, it's very difficult to watch. I don't necessarily see any medical justification for it. It's clearly that it appeared to be punitive in nature, but, you know, we're going to let the jury decide on that one.

[Nancy Grace]

Punitive. Hold on, Chief. Punitive? Well, okay. Punitive in my world means you're being punished for something that you did wrong, like punitive damage or an over punitive sentence. So what did the little girl, the teen girl in a vegetative state do wrong, that she deserves punishment? I can't wait to hear this.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

I have zero answers for that because I watched this poor girl lay helplessly in her bed while this person abused her. There is no justification, it's morally reprehensible for what she did.

[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

She was supposed to be a lifeline. Instead, nurse Nia Ayers is accused of tormenting a disabled teen who ripping tape off her face, suffocating her with a washcloth and shaking her breathing machine.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh my stars. She's actually smiling. The alleged perp is smiling. Oh look, look, look. Well you know what? A 20 to life sentence will wipe that smile right off her face. I'm guessing. I want you to hear how the whole horrific scenario first was uncovered. Listen.

[Dave Mack]

Checking on her disabled daughter Saturday morning, the mother notices red scratches around her daughter's mouth and eyelid. The scratches were not present the previous evening. And as a quadriplegic, it's impossible for her daughter to scratch herself in such a way. So she reviews surveillance camera footage from the previous night and what she sees shocks her to her core and has her calling police immediately.

[Nancy Grace]

Yes, of course, right there. Joining me is Ben Powers, renowned criminal defense attorney. You can find him on Facebook at legal Powers, also legal powers dot com. Ben, thank you for being with us. Ben. See those subtle clues? Mom comes in and she sees a scratch on her daughter's face and she knows right then something is wrong. There are subtle clues that if you are attuned to the person, you spot them immediately. Now somebody like you might be able to argue to a jury a scratch that means nothing. That means nothing about my client. But to a jury it could mean everything. Ben Powers.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Yeah, I think the scratch is the least of her defense team's worries. I mean there's a video that lays.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Out some pretty egregious behavior.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Most concerning if I'm defending her is, you know, I guess to back up we need to point out that is non verbal.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

This case is all about what is on the video.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, Ben Powers, you're absolutely right. The scratches on her daughter's face, mild though they may be, are the least of this health care workers problems. But because of those scratches and because the mom is vigilant, it led mom to check the video. What's on the video?

[Dave Mack]

Listen, watching the surveillance video, the officer notes times where Nia Ayers is aggressive and abusive with the 18 year old victim. At 11:58pm Ayers is seen placing tape on the mouth of the victim, then very aggressively holding a washcloth tight to the Mouth of the victim. Ayers is then seen ripping the tape off the mouth of the victim. The victim's mother tells police at no time is it standard procedure to tape the mouth. The only time tape is used is to tape eyelids shut while the victim sleeps.

[Nancy Grace]

Tape the mouth. She's okay. Chief Douglas Gerke joining me, the chief of police at St. Cloud there in Florida. Chief. Whoa. Okay, so the teen girl is already wearing a breathing apparatus, but this health care worker, based on the video that you have seen, taped her mouth. And of course, she's innocent until proven guilty, but the video is what it is. So even with a breathing apparatus on, the victim's mouth was taped shut. Explain how that worked.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

So, again, that. That would be a procedure that they would. I'm not sure why they would be taping the mouth specifically. I do understand that tape on the eyelids could go on to help them, to assist them to sleep. But what we also saw in that video was her aggressively tearing the tape back off backwards. Tear it off, she puts it on and rips it off again. That's really what we were seeing. That didn't make any sense at all. The BiPAP machine was put on, so it wasn't on all the time. Then she put it on, but she's forcefully shaking her head around. She's getting visibly upset. She's throwing things. So there's a lot more that just shows that she is completely. My opinion, it appears she's enraged while this is all occurring, all the while that this person is helpless. She's not moving, she's getting spun around, her head's getting moved around, forcefully putting tape on, ripping it off. And I'll tell you what's concerning the most was that washcloth incident. Holding it over her mouth and pushing down forcefully while you see her writhing around, trying to move her body back and forth, almost as if she realized she is unable to breathe or she's having a difficult time breathing. So it's unjustifiable, number one. But I have no idea what's in her mind, why she did something like that.

[Nancy Grace]

Boy, do I need a shrink. And luckily, Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky is joining us. Forensic psychologist, author of Dark sides. And on YouTube, he is a star of Dr. Jeff Kalashewski, forensic psychologist. Dr. Jeff, thank you for being with us. Okay. I keep hearing about the health care worker, translation, felony defendant. And, you know, very often you see a wolf in sheep's clothing. This girl looks like she should, you know, be bopping by you at the mall or the nail salon. She looks like she's about 17 years old. Long story short, we keep hearing, Dr. Jeff. That she looked enraged. Angry at the victim over what? The victim can't see, can't move, can't talk, can't understand what's happening around her. Angry at what, Dr. Jeff?

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Well, it's interesting because, you know, I've had a number of these cases over the years, unfortunately, and it was mentioned earlier, sometimes these cases unfold when the caretaker is stressed out and sort of loses it for a minute. But when we talk about sort of systematically.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait, Dr. Jeff, wait, wait, wait. Okay, sorry. I need to ask you a question.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Yeah.

[Nancy Grace]

I still don't get angry or burned out or rageful about what? I mean, the victim can't speak, move, or hear. What did the victim do?

[Dave Mack]

Right.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Because sometimes in these cases that I've had, the healthcare provider becomes frustrated because the person's not compliant or confused. This is different. This is when we're talking about sort of systematic torture. You know, holding the washcloth over and watching the victim suffer. Now we're moving into this is these are sort of sadistic acts. And this is beyond a healthcare worker having a bad moment. This is a person who it sounds like, is getting some type of pleasure in causing pain or emotional distress in the victim. And that's a whole different ballgame compared to some of these other cases where there's abuse that occurs of a vulnerable adult.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Jeff Kalashevsky, you mentioned a word that is in everyone's common parlance, our vocabulary. You said sadistic, but it is actually a psychological or psychiatric term used in your profession. What exactly is. Is sadism in general terms?

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Sadism or sadistic, that is, really talks about a person who gets pleasure from causing either either emotional, psychological, or physical pain on another person.

[Crime Stories Narrator]

After watching Ayers rip the tape off the mouth of the victim, Ayers adjusted the victim's body on the bed, not by sliding her arm underneath and slowly moving the teen, but by yanking the victim's left arm aggressively. After yanking and pulling the teen into position, Nurse Ayers aggressively suctions the victim victim's airway before holding a white washcloth up to the victim's mouth and holding it firmly in place for several seconds, appearing to hinder the breathing of the victim. While holding the victim's mouth closed, it appears the victim is attempting to move her head in a way that depicted she was uncomfortable and unable to breathe.

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[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PCMag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Crime Stories Narrator]

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[Chief Douglas Gerke]

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[Crime Stories Narrator]

To homeserve.com that's homeserve.com not available everywhere. Most plans range between 4.99 to $11.99 a month. Your first year terms apply on covered repairs.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

Mother reviews home security footage and is horrified by what her daughter's nurse is caught doing. An 18 year old nonverbal quadriplegic patient, completely dependent, left bruised, bleeding and gasping for air.

[Nancy Grace]

Who is this woman? I know about the victim. She's a quadriplegic. She has minimal vision. If she can hear, I don't know if she can understand what her mother and others are saying to her, what, what that means to her. She can't move, she can't speak. They put tape on her eyes at night for her to sleep. These videos are hell on earth to Dave Mack. Joining me, I want to talk about nia Ayers, age 24, working for two different health care companies. Okay, I bet that sends cheap Douglas Gerke wild goose chase. Because now he's got to go to these healthcare companies, he's got to find out everywhere else she works and review all the video from them, find out if anything unusual has happened and so forth and so on. Because I'm telling you, Dave Mack, this ain't her first time at the rodeo. You don't go from pre K to your doctoral degree. No, no, no. Uh, what do we know about Nia Ayers?

[Dave Mack]

She is a licensed practical nurse. Got it in. Got her. You know, it's LPN. She got that in 2021. And in the, you know, her career, granted it's not that long, but 24 year old woman with a three year career, so far, four years, no complaints. There has not been one call about anything negative about her. She has good reviews from her patients and family. So this is a shock, Nancy, but you know, as you can see on the pictures that we have, this is a young woman who has a lot going on working with two different agencies as a contractor. And you know, this is a specialty to care for people who cannot care for themselves. They do require a different type of handling. So you would expect a whole lot more from a woman who has chosen that profession. But that's not what this family got at all. They got a nurse with horns, man.

[Nancy Grace]

To become an LPN, and correct me if I'm wrong, Chief, or Dr. Kendall Crowns or Dr. Jeff Kalashewski, you know more about the nursing profession than I do, except for the nurses that saved my children's lives. To become an lpn, you have to complete an accredited practical nursing program. And it usually takes at least two years, 18 months to two years to do that. You've got to have a high school diploma, you've got to get into the program, you have to complete the approximately two year program, you got to be licensed by the state and you have to pass an exam. Like for me it would be the bar exam. So I know she's got at least two years of college education to get that lpn. Chief, what do you know about her education? I mean, certainly she knows better.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Of course there's certification classes that she has to go through. And like you said, it's an accredited system to get the licensed practical nurse done. And it's similar to a paramedic program. A paramedic program here goes through college level education classes and then you have to take a professional exam to get certified. And then there's continuing medical education you have to do in the state of Florida. So similar to my paramedic exam, I have to continue to do medical education in order to renew my license every two years. So this is a person who should be up to speed on everything. They're up to date on their cpr, they're up to date on all their training and everything they're supposed to be doing to be a licensed practical nurse. And then again, they have to do continuing education to ensure that they keep that license current. And again, she was working for two different companies at the time of this event. So she's obviously she was certified to be doing the work. I don't necessarily think that half the things she was doing qualifies under the LPN curriculum and as part of her job duties.

[Nancy Grace]

What more do we know about what happened to the teen girl victim? Listen.

[Dave Mack]

A particularly disturbing sequence caught on camera shows Ayers forcefully placing what appears to be a washcloth over the mouth of the victim and forcefully wiping it. Ayers holds the washcloth in place for approximately 10 seconds as the victim becomes visibly distressed, exhibiting physical resistance by tensing her body and attempting to move her head away. The officer notes these reactions suggest the victim was struggling to breathe and experiencing panic.

[Nancy Grace]

And there is one particular moment in the footage and I'm sure the chief has seen it. Listen.

[Dave Mack]

At one point during the hours of camera footage, nurse Nia Ayers places a white washcloth over the victim's mouth and then violently shakes the victim's head. Ayers then places tape over the victim's mouth again and then throws the roll of tape across the room towards the wall in what can only be called an aggressive manner.

[Crime Stories Narrator]

The 18 year old girl is on a BiPAP machine and Ayers is caught on camera as she walks around the victim's bed and physically forcefully adjusts the victim's breathing device, then violently shakes the victim's head and says a Profanity. Laced statement heard on the surveillance camera.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh my goodness, Chief, you didn't tell me you had audio too. That's awesome. Okay, wait a minute. So when you were saying she was shaking her head violently, you're saying the video depicts the defendant shaking the victim's head violently with her hands?

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Yes, that's correct. She's manipulating her head in a violent manner. What? It appears she's trying to adjust the BiPAP machine and she's obviously, she's saying she's yelling expellatives and then it appears she throws tape and just almost in a fit of rage.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, wait a minute. So, Ben Powers, criminal defense attorney. Oh man. You know, way back when, when you and I first started trying cases, we would never have a video. And the defense, like you would say, we don't know what really happened. We don't have a video. You're going to believe the state's witness? Well, guess what? Gerke has a video. And not just video. Ben Powers, what do you do as a defense attorney? Do you just shrink down just a tiny bit in your seat in front of the jury when they start rolling that beautiful footage for the jury and you see everything that's described in opening statements is actually true? What do you do? Just take notes like O.J. simpson did and pretend it's not happening?

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

So when it comes to a case like this, I think a big limitation is the prosecuting victim isn't able to say whether they were in pain, what they were thinking, whether they couldn't breathe. And so it's going to bring us.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Back to what the video has.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

And as it turns out, the video has audio. And so if it's not on video and if we can't hear it, then it didn't happen. And so unless they have some other medicals to support what they're claiming, it's all going to come down to the video and audio. If there's multiple interpretations, then there's multiple.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Views, not just the state's view.

[Nancy Grace]

I don't like you very much right now at all because what you said is actually true. And in some cases I think it can be argued that what you're seeing is actually subjective. In other words, should I believe you or my lying eyes? Is there some other way to explain away what's happening? But to Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky joining us, forensic psychologist, the cursing. The cursing. I don't know exactly what it is. Something along the lines of F U B, go straight to H E double L. I hate your. I can only imagine but when you have the audio profanity leveled at this girl, a teen girl in a vegetative state. A vegetative state, and she's cursing her out, to me, that gives the meaning to her actions, because now I understand that Gerke has audio as well as video. It explains what may have been implicit. We'd had to figure out what she was thinking when she did this to the girl. But now we know because we can hear her cursing the little girl out.

[Dave Mack]

Right.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

And when we're talking about the victim really not physically being able to do anything that would cause someone to be enraged and abuse the person. From a punishment perspective, what we're really talking about here is using these expletives and yelling in the victim's face to try to impose some emotional turmoil. So this idea that the perpetrator must have been enraged and having an angry outburst, this is beyond this. This is. She's likely using emotional turmoil.

[Nancy Grace]

She's cursing a vegetative state, teen girl, quadriplegic, and causing emotional turmoil.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

More than emotional turmoil. Right.

[Nancy Grace]

I think it's so much more than emotional turmoil. The idea that, you know, I had emotional turmoil this morning when I had to iron not one, but two of my daughter's skirt uniforms. Uniform skirts, before she walks out the door at 7:15. Surprise. None of the skirts were right. It had to be. Not this one that I ironed, but the second one I ironed. Okay, fine, that's turmoil. But this little girl is having her mouth taped. She's basically waterboard with a wet cloth. She can't breathe, she can't move, she can't speak. And now she's getting cursed out.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Yeah. Emotional terror.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Right?

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

I mean, combine it all and the audio is another gives more evidence of this person sadistically trying to cause harm.

[Dave Mack]

The camera provides a timestamp for events documenting the time incidents take place. At 12:23am Ayers wipes a nosebleed as a result of tape having been placed over the victim's mouth. At 12:26am Ayers applies more tape to the victim's mouth. At 12:28am Ayers is seen forcefully ripping the tape from the victim's mouth. The camera timestamps more abuse at 3:21am when Ayers shakes the victim's head and aggressively rubs her face with a towel. At 3:23am Ayers continues to shake the victim. At 5:07am Ayers is seen pinching the area around the victim's mouth.

[Nancy Grace]

Patients maimed, sometimes killed by health care pros. That is dad, Dominic Hacke speaking to me. He had twin baby boys. Beautiful. But Noah's legs were fractured. How did that happen? And now he finds out.

[Dr. Kendall Crowns]

Listen, they initially told us that it could have been done from an injection that was given, maybe too, too rough or too hard. So they were going to implement some trainings so that the nurses could be able to give injections correctly. And that's kind of the only explanation that was given. And I want to make it perfectly clear. Bone density, vitamin deficiency, brittle bone syndrome was never, ever brought up in our case. It was never questioned, it was never, it was never a factor for us.

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah, that wasn't natural. The nurse did it. To Chief Gerke joining us from St. Cloud PD in that case, and I've got a whole stack of similar cases here. The nurse was fracturing newborn infants, bodies. Not just fracturing, breaking, breaking, like breaking their bones. And she was caught on video. And at first nobody knew what had happened. Then they started looking at the video and then they found out and it wasn't just twin Noah. There were many, many other babies, newborns that had their bones as they're laying there. Can you imagine the pain? A brand new baby just gets born in this world and somebody breaks their leg. Breaks their leg, snaps it in two. I mean, if you can see a monitor, I want you to look at the X ray of Noah's leg. It just. And what's so upsetting about it is the helpless nature of the victims. Like in the case you have right now.

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

It's shocking. You know, again, Nancy, I told you, I mean, 25 years in law enforcement, I've seen some horrific things. People that are supposed to do no harm to people and they go out and do this all the time. I will tell you, there is, you know, we have a very, very, a no nonsense policy when it comes to harming people in our society. And I'll be honest with you, the most vulnerable, including our poor 18 year old victim and these newborns. I said it before, there's a special place in hell for people like that. And our job is to actually bring them to justice and ensure they never harm another person again. There's always a common denominator in these things. When you start to see multiple infants in the cases you're describing, there's always somebody that's working around the same time. And you can never explain these fractures. That's really how you do these things. And that's how you start looking. You know, the, the poor mother of, of our victim. She, she's not Sleeping at night. I mean, it bothers her so much that she thought she was doing the right thing by bringing in caregivers to get her daughter the best possible help that she could have all night long. And now she's devastated. I, I met with her again. I met with her last night. You know, we, we cried. I gave her a hug. I, she's doing the right thing now. But it's horrible thinking that these cameras were in existence but she had no knowledge that it was occurring. So now she is going back with us and we're looking at all these incidents for potentially more charges or potentially more violence that, that, that was happening under her roof while she was in the next room. It's, it's heartbreaking.

[Nancy Grace]

That's just to think you're in the very next room while your daughter is being tortured by this. Well, I gave up cursing when I had the twins or tried to. Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky joining us, renowned forensic psychologist. You told me what sadism was and you explained it. The actual psychological or psychiatric definition. But when you add the factor that the person, the preys on someone so helpless. Okay, that's got to be another facet to sadism.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

Oh, for sure. I mean, with sadism, sometimes people do it for the control. They get someone who's not under control and they have control over them. That's not occurring in this case. So this particular sort of sadistic behavior and maneuver to me is even more disturbing because the aim of it is not necessarily to get control of the victim, the victim was already under control, but the actual sort of pleasure that this person gets out of inflicting pain on this helpless victim makes it more concerning from a forensic perspective about this person's dangerousness and particularly if they don't go to prison or when they get out of prison. This kind of thing doesn't necessarily go away. And I'd be very concerned if this perpetrator had access to victims again.

[Crime Stories Narrator]

The victim's mother provides police officers with four pictures of the injuries the victim had to her face and eyelid. The officer observed red marks and scratches around the mouth of the victim and red marks on her eyelid where it appears skin had ripped off from the tape.

[BritBox Ad Host]

It's the coziest time of year on Britbox. That means curling up with a gripping murder mystery, basking in a sumptuous period drama or discovering a new hidden gem. See the holidays differently when you stream the best of British TV with BritBox. Watch Britbox original series, including the new season of the award winning Belfast police drama Blue Lights however however you cozy this holiday, it's a bit warmer with Britbox. Watch with a free [e-mail] decluttering is everything.

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[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11 PC Mag Reader's Choice Used with permission. All rights reserved. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know, one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's Unlimited Wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

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[Nancy Grace]

See mintmobile.com crime stories with Nancy Grace.

[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

Hired to care for a vulnerable teen now charged with aggravated abuse, Nia Ayers turned herself in, but not before disturbing footage surfaced that a Mother demanded justice.

[Nancy Grace]

I want you to listen to the audio that goes with the video we just showed you where 24 year old Nia Ayers is told what she's being charged with.

[Dr. Jeff Kielashevsky]

You're being charged with aggravated.

[Nancy Grace]

Disabled person's abuse.

[Dave Mack]

Okay.

[Nancy Grace]

Did you hear what she said at the very end? Huh? Huh? She's just told Chief that she's being charged with aggravated. It kind of got blurry right there, but I think it's going to be aggravated assault on a disabled person or aggravated abuse of a disabled person. What is she actually charged with at this juncture, Chief?

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

So that's what it is. It's aggravated abuse of a disabled adult. And the Florida statute is 825.102, subsection 2B. So that's what she's facing right now. And again, there's going to be potentially more counts that we're looking at now. We're reviewing all videos.

[Nancy Grace]

I know you're not a shrink, Chief, but what is wrong with these people?

[Chief Douglas Gerke]

Number one, I will never try to make an excuse for anyone like this, nor even try to understand why they do these things, Nancy. But I think it is important that we recognize that there are still a lot of healthcare workers that are out there that do the right thing. I'd be remiss if I did not say that. Like you said, you've had some great healthcare workers. These are the anomalies that float in and out of this profession and any profession that we have in our society, law enforcement officers, attorneys, anywhere there's people that probably should not be doing the profession they're in. These people will just continue to out themselves over and over again thanks to social media, to videos. And I will tell you, we will be there. Law enforcement is going to be there and we will hold them accountable, highly accountable, and ensure that justice is served on these poor victims that are unable to basically help themselves.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, Chief, of course, you're right. You're right. For instance, when I hear about a lawyer that does something despicable and horrible, it makes me feel terrible. Or when a member of law enforcement abuses a defendant, whether they're guilty or innocent, I feel like it's a kick in my stomach. The vast, vast majority of healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, are amazing angels. But this woman, oh yeah, she's having supper with Satan. And it's not going to be long. If you know or think you know anything about this case or other cases connected to 24 year old Nia Ayers, dial 407-891-6700 Nancy Grace signing off. Good night.

[BritBox Ad Host]

It's the coziest time of year on Britbox. That means curling up with a gripping murder mystery, basking in a sumptuous period drama, or discovering a new hidden gem. See the holidays differently when you stream the best of British TV with BritBox. Watch Britbox original series, including the new season of the award winning Belfast police drama Blue Lights. However you cozy this holiday, it's a bit warmer with Britbox. Watch with a free [e-mail] did you.

[Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile & LG Gram Ad Host]

Know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Trashy Ad Host]

Decluttering is everything. It clears your space, your mind, and it can give you shopping power with Trashy. Just buy a trashy bag, fill it with clothes and shoes you no longer need, then ship it free and earn points instantly. Build your points by shopping exclusive trashy offers and redeem for gift cards to brands you love or donate them to charity. It's time to make space for what's next. Start decluttering today at Trashy IO that's T R A S H I E I O Saks off fifth is revealing the season's most wanted holiday steals. Whether you're gifting someone on your list or treating yourself to a designer score, find deals on McQueen, Valentino, Versace or Stuart Weitzman and more at up to 70% off every day. Outshine at every event and outsmart your budget. From shimmer ready party looks to luxe layers and cozy, giftable accessories, Saks Off 5th is your secret source for celebrating in style. Your holiday shopping mission starts [e-mail] or a Saks off 5th store near you.

[Nancy Grace]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.