UPDATE; 5/5/2017 – The mother has been formally charged- details here.

UPDATE; 3/21/2017 – The suspect, Rachel Marie Pietro, has been arrested and is being held without bail.

Original story below…

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Police in Baltimore County have opened an investigation into a viral video that is circulating which seems to involve child abuse.

Detectives in the Crimes Against Children Unit began an investigation on Thursday after the video surfaced on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Police say the investigation focuses on a household in the Essex/Middle River area.

The video shows a woman apparently beating several children. At one point in the clip, the woman says to someone on the phone, I’m going to “beat these kids to death!”

No charges have been filed at this time. The children have been transferred to the care of the Department of Social Services.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.