NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — It's almost been a week since 3-month-old Jiraiya Cherry reunited with family in Newport News.
The child's disappearance on sparked a state-wide Amber Alert on Feb. 4. His babysitter, Tykirah Reid, 20, is charged with kidnapping and accused of taking the baby boy from his home.
Authorities captured Reid with the child more than an hour away in Chesterfield that night.
"It's something you never want to hear that your grandson has been taken," said Cherry's grandmother Lashawnna Hill.
Hill told 13News Now Reid connected with the child's parents online, and it was her first day on the job.
"You know trust is paramount in this industry," said Kathy Grey, founder of Ghent Caregivers.
Grey launched the childcare company more than 30 years ago and employs nearly 200 nannies throughout Hampton Roads.
Ghent Caregivers does not advertise and operates mostly on word-of-mouth, said Grey. With modern technology, more parents are searching for childcare options online. However, Grey says that is even more reason to double-check their resume.
“Everything that they say has to be verified," she said. "If they say they graduated from Old Dominion [University], I have to make sure that they did and on this day.”
Grey, also a former educator, recommends parents request background checks and multiple references.
"We want to talk to people who have observed them working with the children," she said.
She also suggests families install home security cameras. If the potential caregivers is uncomfortable with being monitored with the child, Grey said that's a "red flag." She also recommends several meetings with the applicant and test runs, as many as needed for the parents.
“The whole idea is to get comfortable with them," she said.
Jiraiya’s family says his parents met with Reid in person before hiring her, and the child's uncle was in the apartment that day. Hill said Reid waited until he checked on Jiraiya's older sister in another room and ran out of the home with the child.
Reports show Reid may have used a fake online profile. Reid's next court date is scheduled for March 24.