Mardela woman sentenced for abuse, assault of children in her care

SALISBURY, Md. – A Mardela woman has been sentenced to over five decades behind bars for child abuse.

The investigation began in June 2023, when EMS responded to Nicole Bochenek’s residence for a 911 call reporting a 9-month-old child who was unresponsive and not breathing. The child was taken to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. due to the severity of her injuries. The infant was treated and diagnosed with injuries consistent with abusive blunt force trauma and non-accidental trauma, including multiple skull fractures, brain bleeds, spinal fractures, and other bone fractures.

It was determined that Bochenek was responsible for providing daycare services to this child and other children within her home. Detectives with the Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center subsequently responded to her home to investigate, finding a separate child suffering from injuries. Bochenek was interviewed by detectives and admitted to having shaken the infant to silence her cries and that this had been happening over the course of several weeks. Bochenek also reportedly admitted to hitting the other child in her care. Another child was also identified as having been physically abused by Bochenek while attending daycare services in her home. All three children were under the age of 5 years.

Bochenek pleaded guilty to first degree child abuse, first degree abuse, and two counts of second degree child abuse, and was subsequently sentenced to 55 years incarceration.