Babysitter caught smothering child on nanny cam, police say

Moriah Gonzales was allegedly recorded putting her hand over the baby's mouth in an attempt to stop him crying after putting him down for a nap

Moriah Gonzales, 20, has been charged with one count of child abuse - She denies harming the child (Livermore Police Department)

A 20-year-old babysitter in California was caught on hidden camera allegedly suffocating a 13-month-old boy to stop him from crying, police say.

Moriah Gonzales, 20, was allegedly recorded putting her hand over the baby's mouth in an attempt to stop him crying after putting him down for a nap.

In the video, the baby, referred to as "Doe", can be heard crying as Gonzales carries him around the room before lowering him into the crib.

"Moriah then placed her hands closer to Doe's face and the sounds went from clear and audible to a muffled cry," a police report describing the video said, according to ABC 7 News.

The document continues: "After a few seconds, Doe began to squirm and kick. He then went limp. Once Doe went limp, Moriah lifted him up and flung him over her shoulder in a supine position, the back of his head resting on her shoulder.

"When Moriah moved her hands away from Doe's face, clear and audible crying/whimpering could once again be heard.

"As Doe lay in a supine position over Moriah's shoulder, his arms extended outward as if he was limp. Moriah then put Doe into his crib and left the room."

When police interviewed Gonzales as part of the investigation, she reportedly gave responses inconsistent with what the footage shows.

Gonzales has been charged with one count of child abuse. She plead not guilty to child abuse in court on Friday.

A protective order has been issued against her to stay away from children under 18.

Gonzales was hired through the nanny website Care.com, which released a statement to say: "We are deeply troubled by this incident and our thoughts are with the family.

"The safety of our community is of paramount importance to us and we have proactively contacted local law enforcement to provide whatever assistance we can in this matter."