A Florida baby died Wednesday after being left inside a van at day care for five hours and was only found when her mom called about child care arrangements.
Authorities said the infant was discovered in Ewing’s Love & Hope Preschool Academy’s transport vehicle in Jacksonville.
Upon arrival, police found the child unresponsive, reports First Coast News.
The 4-month-old was reportedly still strapped in her car seat and not breathing when emergency dispatchers attempted to resuscitate her. However, the girl wasn’t located until her mom called to check on her.
The child was said to have been picked up from home and brought to the facility around 8:25 a.m., yet it wasn’t until around 1:03 p.m. that an employee told the girl’s parent that she had never checked into the day care.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook, the little girl was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Police have arrested and charged the owner and co-owner of the daycare Darryl Ewing for child neglect.
He was the sole driver of the van at the time of the incident.
DEATH INVESTIGATION – Infant left in hot van diedArrest MadeOn Wednesday, May 22, 2019, police were dispatched to…
Posted by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, May 22, 2019
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Chad Poppell said in a statement to the outlet:
Every day, parents entrust child care providers with their most precious gifts. Tragically, today a family has just been notified of the gut-wrenching loss of their precious baby girl.
The child’s cause of death is still being investigated.
Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Brian Kee said that the infant may have suffered “heat-related injury.” The temperature rose to 92 degrees on the day of the child’s death, reports ABC News.
The DCF continued:
DCF immediately opened a joint child death and child care licensing investigation in coordination with law enforcement. We will continue to support this family as they mourn the loss of their baby girl.
According to the DCF, transportation standards were not being monitored at Ewing’s Love & Hope Preschool Academy.
The organization had no idea the day care was transporting children to the facility.
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