Police Investigation Under Way After Child Dies In Day Care Van
Day Care Voluntarily Closes After Child Found Dead In Van.
A police investigation is under way at the Katie’s Kids Learning Center after a 2-year-old girl was found dead in a van Thursday.
The Delray Beach center voluntarily closed its doors Friday morning, just hours after the child was found, according the the Palm Beach County Health Department which issues licenses and inspects day care centers in the county.
They inspected Katie’s Kids Learning Center Thursday night and returned Friday morning. No violations were found.
However, the day care has voluntarily closed its doors. The health department does not know when it will reopen.
Early Friday morning, it appeared to be business as usual at the center on 10th Avenue.
Workers arrived at with no comments to share. Parents began dropping off their children around 6:30.
Despite what happened, Dana Mathis still took her 3-month-old to the facility.
“I don’t have any family to watch my child. I have go to work. I really don’t have any choice right now,” Mathis told Local 10′s Constance Jones. She also said she was going to look for another day care.
But those parents who dropped off their children had to pick them up when just after 9 a.m. the day care announced it was closing its doors.
“I don’t want anything like that to happen to my kid, ” Carlos Caba said after picking up his child.
Meanwhile, Delray Beach police are investigating how the child, who Local 10 is only identifying as Haley, died after she was left inside the day care facility van for hours on Thursday.
On Thursday, Police said Haley was picked up in the morning at her home, taken to the day car and then left inside the van until 4 p.m. when an employee discovered her body.
Family rushed to the scene and gathered at a church across the street to console each other.
“She was a beautiful little girl. She was quiet, which may have been why nobody noticed she was missing,” said Susan Pinkney, a family member.
As of Wednesday night no arrests had been made and the state attorney’s office was still reviewing the case.
Katie’s Kids had no official comment Wednesday. The child’s parents also did not speak to Local 10, but relatives made it clear they believe someone should be punished.
“I don’t even know. I just miss my grandchild,” Willie Lester told Local 10′s Rob Schmitt.
On Friday morning, family members also told Local 10′s Constance Jones that Haley’s two other siblings also attended the Katie’s Kids Learning Center.
“Why did this happen to her?” asked one family member. “It’s God’s will. It’s just God’s will.”
“It’s just really sad and my heart goes out to that family. I can just imagine the mother dressing her daughter in the morning, thinking she’s going to see her in the afternoon. It’s just awful,” said Grey Alamonte whose children attended the day care.
Temperatures in Delray Beach reached the low 90s on Thursday. Inside the van temperatures likely reached upwards of 120 degrees.
Police say Haley may have been inside the van for 6 hours before anyone noticed she was missing.
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