An emergency order from the State's Department of Health stripped a Miami Shores woman of her nursing license over the weekend, more than year after police say she abused her three adopted children.
The abuse was discovered after the death of her 7-year-old child in November of 2018.
Gina Emmanuel, a registered nurse, was arrested in October of this year on multiple counts of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm and child neglect causing great bodily harm, according to an arrest report.
The report said Emmanuel, 50, is accused of using belts, a brush, a back scratcher and other objects to physically abuse three young girls, who she began fostering in 2014. Emmanuel, who adopted the kids – ages 6, 7 and 12 – along with their 4-year-old brother in 2017, allegedly tied the kids' hands and bodies to furniture, tied socks around their eyes and burned their hands and fingers on the stove as punishment for when they wet the bed.
In January 2019, the 7-year-old's surviving sister told investigators of the abuse. At that point she and her siblings had been removed from the home.
Emmanuel's public defender did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Emmanuel continued to work as a home health nurse for nine months before being criminally charged. During that time, she ran a group home for two people. It's regulated by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Local
NBC 6 reached out to the Department of Health to ask why the process to suspend Emmanuel's license has taken so long.
A spokesperson responded saying:
"Ms. Emmanuel’s license was suspended by an emergency order signed by the State Surgeon General on November 15. The investigation and all details of the case that are not included in the emergency order are still considered confidential."
Meantime, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities said it filed an administrative complaint and has scheduled a hearing that could lead to Emmanuel losing her ability to run a group home.
