Foster parents in Concord arrested after daycare staff report repeated injuries to toddler

Purple bruises on the forehead, clustered contusions around the knees, a dried red scab across the bridge of the nose, marks on the back, and brownish wounds on the buttocks were documented by investigators on a three-year-old girl living with foster parents in Concord.

The child had been placed in the care of Brittany Plaza and Raymond Goudreault of Concord in September 2024. 

Over the months, staff at Merrimack Valley Daycare noticed a troubling pattern: whenever the child was absent from daycare, she returned with new bruises. In June, the daycare staff reported their observations to the Division for Children, Youth and Families, triggering a months-long investigation alongside the Concord Police Department.

This week, authorities arrested Plaza, 30, and Goudreault, 30, who are facing multiple charges. Plaza is charged with two felony counts of second-degree assault and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Goudreault is charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of violating child-abuse reporting requirements, both misdemeanors.

Plaza holds a degree in early childhood education, with coursework in childhood growth and development as well as behavior guidance.

During the investigation, text messages between Plaza, her sister, and a friend revealed her dislike of caring for the child, according to court documents. 

In one exchange, she wrote that she could not wait to “get the hell away from her” and that she “did not want her here.” 

Plaza also mentioned the state payments for foster care, saying she would “find a way to make $500 a month if I have to,” according to the arrest affidavit.

The child had been placed with Plaza and Goudreault because the girl’s mother was incarcerated at the New Hampshire State Prison for Women, and her father, recently released from prison, had limited involvement in her life.

Goudreault is the child’s paternal uncle. The couple lived in a house on North State Street with four other children.

At one point, Plaza texted Goudreault in frustration after he called her careless when the child hit her head on the plastic liner of his truck while being lifted inside. “I don’t even care anymore, send me to prison with her mother,” she replied.

On June 11, the child was removed from the custody of Plaza and Goudreault.

When questioned by police, Plaza claimed most of the injuries were accidental, saying the child often fell off a bunk bed, in the bathtub, or while gathering firewood. But medical reports paint a different picture. 

“A fall from a bunk bed would not cause the right facial bruising and there is no reported explanation for the extensive injuries noted,” wrote Amy Roth, the director of Dartmouth Hitchcock’s child advocacy protection program, after she reviewed photos of the child’s bruising.

Plaza was held at the Merrimack County House of Corrections and was arraigned at the Concord District Court on Dec 3. Goudreault was released on personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to appear for arraignment at the Concord District Court on Jan 12 at 8:15 a.m.

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