Celie Placius, Palm Springs, Florida woman charged with child abuse after burning young girl with hot iron, telling child that she no longer loved her. Investigators notice other healed burn marks.
A Florida woman is accused of searing a young girl’s arm with a hot iron, telling the child in the process that she ‘no longer loved her’ during the assault.
Celie Placius, 43, of Palm Springs following her arrest on Thursday was taken into custody and charged with one count of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Palm Springs Police Department, responded to a call regarding a possible child abuse at a day care center at about 4 p.m. on April 24, 2025. Employees at the day care had filed a report regarding a child with a burn mark to her lower right forearm that appeared suspicious.
Police were able to make contact with Placius — whose relationship to the child is redacted — to inquire about the apparent burn injury. When questioned, Placius allegedly claimed to have ‘no knowledge of what happened’ to the girl, but later claimed she may have suffered the injury when playing with her friends or siblings.
Repeat instances of child abuse
However, police say Placius later revised her statement and said she had been ironing clothes while the child was nearby and had to ‘step away’ briefly. When she returned, Placius said she ‘observed a sticky substance on the side of the iron.’ The child said she had used the iron on her folder, with the woman saying she did not have an observable injury,
Police conducted an in-person interview with the child who in turn contradicted line of events. The victim said she had been eating dinner the previous night and started playing with her brothers before bed before things went awry according to a probable affidavit cited by lawandcrime.
‘Placius then used a hot clothes iron to burn [the victim’s] right forearm in two different places while stating, ‘I’m not your friend and I don’t love you anymore’ to [the victim],’ the affidavit stated. ‘Placius later applied cream to the wound to make it better.’
The child — whom experts noted was able to tell the difference between a truth and a lie — said that Placius burned her while she was sitting at the dining room table and that she also used the iron to burn the child’s school folder. Police said the burn mark on the girl’s forearm appeared to be ‘new and bubbling.’
Another injury to the child’s hand appeared to also be a burn mark but seemed to have had more time to heal, police said.
Contradictory and elusive statements
In a subsequent interview with investigators, Placius contradicted herself several times regarding whether she knew the child’s injury was a burn, whether she applied cream or ointment to help the wound heal, and whether she had ever seen the victim pick up or play with the clothes iron.
The woman was then charged.
‘The injury to [the victim’s] right arm and hand do not appear to be accidental in nature or self inflicted,’ police determined according to the affidavit. ‘The two burn marks appear to be from prolonged exposure to a high degree of heat causing significant damage which would likely result in great bodily harm or permanent disfigurement.’
Placius was taken into custody and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail for processing. She is currently being held on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on May 27, 2025, records show.
