In November, unlicensed daycare owner Laura Minnick was watching a 3-month-old girl and six other children in her home when the baby went into cardiac arrest.
Now, she’s facing charges.
As Dearly previously reported, the infant had “blue lips” by the time authorities arrived and she later died at the hospital.
The daycare owner claimed that the baby girl rolled onto her face and stopped breathing.
Authorities noted that Minnick smelled of alcohol and was acting “hysterical” at the time of the incident. They found an empty box of wine in her trashcan.
She only admitted to one other child being in the home but police found six, all of whom had been trapped inside a makeshift pen, closet, or small room intended to “keep the child from escaping.”
Minnick denied keeping children in “cages” as she said the police described them.
But now, the daycare owner has been charged with seven counts of child endangerment, according to NBC5.
She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death for the 3-month-old baby, and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child for the other children found confined in the house, Riverfront Times reports.
Maplewood police said in a statement:
The members of the Maplewood Police Department continue to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim, and ask all members of the community to join us in keeping them in your prayers and thoughts. On behalf of the family, the Maplewood Police Department emphatically beseech that their privacy be respected during this extremely difficult period of their lives.
An arrest warrant for the 39-year-old was issued on Friday and she is expected to turn herself in on Monday.
Unlicensed daycares are not subject to the same state regulation as licensed care centers, meaning safety standards may not be as high.
Many states have websites dedicated to helping parents find licensed daycare centers in their area.