Goddamnit. As a parent, these stories piss me off to no end. The ones responsible need to be locked in a vehicle in the desert until they meet a similar demise. Only then will they know what kind of immeasurable torture they inflicted on an innocent child.

This should of never happened! The state is just as much at fault because this lady should of been out of business she already had 3 violation for caring for too many kids. So sad for the family who lost the child.

Why is it that we hear more and more stories like this coming from day care situations?

Does the State wait until a child dies before they shut her down!!!! They are just as responsible and all parties should be sued. The owner of the day care should go to prison for murder!! Let her rot in a HOT place...HELL!

R.I.P. little guy! The day care provider and her daughter should be locked in a car until they are done with court.....problem solved!

Shut this bytch down and lock her away for life, or will the state allow her to reopen once again to kill another child.

Why does it have to come to a death of a person before someone actually does something about this woman and her daycare that had many violations from the get go.

RIP little angel...

The licensing reports on this day care are available online and in every center! Parents need to check these things out and KNOW where they are leaving there children.And I agree there needs to be a very harsh penalty for anyone that is so lazy they can't double check a vehicle when they are transporting children!!

Why!!!!! What is wrong with people today?? How can anyone who is caring for children be so ridiculously stupid, ignorant, selfish, inconsiderate and/or any other awful description you can come up with!!!

I agree with OhMy999999!! They should be done away with in the same manner that poor child had to die. I just don't understand the ignorance that is in the world today :(

Yes prison in this case. This clearly was not an accident. They left the child there as to not get in trouble for having to many children in the center. Pre meditated, basically a murder. Hang them. And do it today. There would be no investigation in this case. If this were my child or grandchild, someone would pay for this. Not next week, not next month, TODAY...I would be all over this. How stupid are people. How mean are people. This was a purposeful act to keep from getting in trouble for something else. I am damn angry and they are lucky I do not live there.

Texas Lady is right, always do your homework. These are people who you are trusting the lives of your children with. Though I'm guessing this was a person who was working for lower income families, hence charges less, more kids, and trying to skirt rules, but perhaps I'm wrong. Eitherway, one warning should've been enough. 3 times, nope, find a different line of work. Long prison term at the very least, if intent is proven, then death penalty. Sad Sad Sad. RIP little one.

It is time

4 years old. My God, so horrible.

This woman was attempting to hide the fact that she was breaking the regulations again. The fact that she let someone be in charge in those kids who was neither eligible or qualified, something she had already been cited on and warned about, should increase the severity of her punishment. This seems to be voluntary manslaughter chargeable count, or maybe even 2nd degree murder.

This little boy was old enough to realize he was in trouble and probably screamed his head off for quite a while. The caretaker obviously didn't even bother to do a head count inside the room, further proving her incompetency and downright stupidity. She needs to be charged as well.

If we, as a society, can't protect our children, no matter what else we've done, we're failures. It's time to get very strict with daycares and the people who run them. Fines, arrest, jail, whatever it takes. Obviously the current "Naughty Naughty" isn't enough and is useless. If someone is going to assume the responsibility of childcare for others, they need to be strongly supervised and have real penalties assessed for any repeated violations. The parents also need to be responsible enough to do their homework and investigate the daycares, including pop-in (unannounced) visits and checking records. This poor little boy paid the price for the adults in his life failing him on all levels. The adults responsible for this unnecessary tragedy now need to be held accountable for his death.

That poor, poor innocent baby. That daycare had been cited for prior violations? Why didn't DCF follow up and make spot checks to verify the owner was not in violation again? DCF cited her 2 previous times for her daughter working for her. Her daycare should have been closed down then or at least heavily fined so she would think twice before having her daughter work for her. Hopefully DCF will close her down. If they don't, I hope the other parents pull their children out of there. This baby's parent(s) should sue the pants off both women and maybe DCF, too. You can't replace a child with money but it would serve as a warning to other daycare owners - we can only hope. In the meantime I hope both women are convicted and imprisoned.

As a former Licensed Childcare Provider I say stake them both out in the desert and let em fry. On the other hand how did the parents not notice this poor excuse of a human being had to many children? Here the MAX in home is 12 children. That would mean she had 20 children in her home. Protect your children. Check out your States Childcare site. Many now list complaints as public information. Ask for references. Call them. Stop parents leaving the property ask them. These are your children.

Exterminate the business owner & daughter (lowlife mofos) immmediatley. The parents are partially to blame as well...

I hope that these folks are left in a hot car for 15 hours.....windows closed, no water,no bathroom.

Reading stories like this makes a normal, caring, thinking person physically ill

Why did they still have a license to operate??? We are talking about repeated offenses for the same things. She clearly didn't change, had not intentions of changing and yet she was still allowed to operate. The reasons they have these laws, about the adult/child ratio is because there comes a point when you have too many children and you are unable to provide the care the children need. I'm sure she didn't intentionally leave the child in the car BUT she intentionally had too many children. This is disgusting, and as a mother of a 4-year-old boy myself hopes both of these idiots are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! It just makes me sick. I'm going to go home and hug my child a little tighter tonight.

Sounds like daughter is under age, she shouldn't have to suffer responsibility for having a dumb Mother, very sad for her.. The dumb mother is to cheap to hire someone responsible, we all have to pinch pennies now but not when there's lives involved.

Even if I didn't have the luck to tell my wife "don't worry about working", I wouldn't take my child to a daycare center with a single reported incident. We've had problems around here - by professional daycare centers - I KNOW you need to choose carefully. Forget about a daycare "center" in someone's apartment in a complex, I'd never go for that.

When it comes down to making "extra" money to have "nicer" things or to staying home and keeping your kids safe, the kids should win, hands down! We didn't have a lot, but our kids were safe, and are grown now, one of them with kids and a stay-at-home mom.

People think too much of themselves and not enough of the children they bring into this world. I grew up KNOWING that when you had kids, THEY were the ones who came first, especially when they were little and not able to fend for themselves.

This by0tch and her daughter SHOULD be put in a car, with the windows sealed and the doors welded shut. They should be belted in, with the belts super-glued shut so they cannot escape. Then the car should be placed in Death Valley for one day, to begin one hour before sunup.

Cruel? No, I don't think so. They should get what that poor innocent child got. It just makes me puke, thinking about that little boy. He is the same age as my granddaughter, and if something like that happened to her, I can tell you, those people wouldn't EVEN make it to jail.

Manslaughter, not murder.

MURDER!!!!

Toosano - I had given up hope that anyone else on these boards understood hte difference! Thank you!

No, murder. 2nd degree. Hard to prove the intent that is required for 1st degree but definitely 2nd. She new she was breaking the law, that was her purpose behind transporting the kids to the apartment complex in the first place. So, horrible neglect of the deceased child combined with intentional avoidance of prosecution for committing a crime, committing 2 crimes (underaged person left in charge of a day care facility AND knowingly running a day care over capacity) constitutes a murder charge. If someone inadvertently dies while you are committing a crime you are guilty of murder. She and her mother were currently engaged in multiple crimes and someone died as a result.

NOW, Xina and Toosano, educate yourselves before you start trying to act all self righteous and trolling.

OH, and possibly kidnapping, because I seriously doubt the parents were informed of the "field trip" their kids were taking.

We do not know all the facts or hardly any I think you need to be committing a feloney crime to be charged with murder that could vary state to state but what they did maybe a feloney to soon to tell.

YOU should educate yourself AlienMartian. It's not intent that needs to be proven for 1st degree murder, it's premeditation. Murder is intentional either way, 1st or 2nd degree. While her leaving the child in the car was stupid and irresponsible, it is highly unlikely that she had any intent to kill the child. That is why it is a manslaughter charge.

Actually it would be voluntary manslaughter. For murder in 1st degree there is pre-mediation and the intent to kill. For 2nd degree murder there is pre-meditation but there is a provocation. A good example of this is you find you wife in bed with another man and due to being provoked by seeing that you kill the man. Voluntary manslaughter says that there is no intent to kill and there is no pre-mediation. However you engaged in a reckless act that as a result of that act, led to that persons death. They would be charged with voluntary manslaughter and would likely be out of prison in 5 years. I think they should be locked in prison for the rest of their lives but that would not likely happen.

Finally someone who actually understands the murder system. It is a manslaughter charge or maybe negligent homicide. BUT why do people seriously leave kids in cars?! I have a 9-month old niece and I hope to start taking her places when she gets a bit older, and I would NEVER EVER leave her in the car! Even just for a second! I have seen too many stories on here this summer about innocent children dying in cars because of either daycare or a completely irresponsible parent. I can't believe people can be so dumb and careless and negligent. This woman and her mother should both be locked away. Also pile on the charges that would go with illegally running that daycare, because they had too many kids in there. I have left my dog in the car in the shade for 2 seconds while I mail something that's 5 feet from my car, but I come RIGHT back. I seriously don't understand why people do this!

I agree that the Mother & Daughter should be charged for the 4 year old's death. Most 4 yr. old's I know can unlock the door and let themselves OUT of a vehicle (unless the daughter had the Child Locks ON).

I don't do criminal law and am licensed in fed court and NY, not Fla, but in NY, felony murder, as alien mentioned, doesn't require intent to kill.

How quickly everyone forgets the Casey Anthony case - they tried for murder on that, too, and lost it all. Since this is FL, it would appear based on what we know so far manslaughter or homicide (voluntary or involuntary) would get the conviction and not murder, whether 1st or 2nd degree. After all, someone on the jury might have to go on a cruise or something...smh.

In NY, the 4 year old who was shot in the head while on the playground WILL result in a murder conviction, despite not being the actual target of the imbecile with his finger on the trigger.

sadly parents do it all of the time

and kids die

she was very negligent...manslaughter. If it was while committing a felony it might even count as murder officially depends on their laws...she was conspiring with the mother (owner) to hide evidence of being over capacity but might not be breaking the law

AlienMartian, continue educating yourself. Only in the commission of a FELONY does the death of another constitute murder. Even then, if you are passing bad checks and the cashier has a heart attack, it won't be murder.

Those daycare violations were probably not felonies.

Back to your Law and Order TV show, Alien. You have no idea what you're talking about. The courts wouldn't dream of filing a murder charge.

You couldn't find intent in that situation unless the person confessed. Manslaughter for sure, though.

Intent to defraud the government. Intent to transport children to an undisclosed location without parental consent (kidnapping). Intent to operate a daycare facility over capacity resulting in neglect of several children. Intent to leave the children with an underaged individual, not liscensed by the state, which resulted in the death of a child. There are at least 2 felonies in there and a child died during and because of there commission. MURDER. plain and simple. Now for perry mason up there that says premeditation need be proven for 1st degree...YOU need to stop watching so much TV. INTENT is the backbone of all charges. All the rest of you can go suck it, you're ignorant and have never been in a courtroom.

AlienMartian - you may or may not be correct but you are acting like an a$$.

No doubt you've been in a courtroom, Alien. The wrong side, I'm sure. Say what you want, they could never prove intent. Let's find a way to throw down a few grand on it.

Brooke,

Maybe you can shed some insight on this- but why do these ugly stories seem more and more to be coming from FLA? I could list all the anecdotes, but lets be honest, I dont need to- fact is that the citizens, the politicians, and the police all seem to lack moral imperative. Or they're just crazy. IDK, I'm not vacationing there anymore.

It should get better soon, they're cracking down on the pill mills like crazy.

Wow. Florida again.

While not blaming any of the parents who left their children there, I have to wonder - would it have made any difference if she hadn't still had a license to run a daycare? She'd have just hung a sign and done it, anyway. It seems no one bothered to check her background and no one in DCF was watching what she was doing, so what was to stop her? Our laws, as they stand, are weak. Take away the license and they just do what they want anyway. How many times do you read about someone in a fatal car accident whose driver's license was revoked multiple times - it didn't stop them from driving, did it? Same theory here. Did she know for a fact someone was coming, or did they do this every single day? From what I can determine from the article, she thought an inspector was coming to check up on her, so she had her daughter take some of the kids out so she wouldn't get caught with too many in the home - that means she knew they were coming. Why advise her in advance? A sneak inspection could have prevented what just happened.

They can sue, that is no more than filing a bankruptcy on it. I put some of the blame on the parents of the child also. Why in the world would you leave your child in the care of a facility that has had that many violations. This just sickens me to no end.

Possibly the government didn't revoke her license or follow up on the charges because they were understaffed and underfunded. That is what happens when revenue becomes smaller-services get cut, sometimes to the detriment of the ones who need it the most.

Many people responsible here. I hope all pay. Somehow.

yes1fan: Are you totally locked up in a cave without any communication with the outside world? We do NOT need the government to mandate solar powered venting systems in a car! The government has destroyed too much already and I for one am sick of being told what I can and can't do. Quit with your dumb requests and take responsibility for oneself. This mother and daughter needs to be locked up for the rest of their life and I hope that someone beats the hell out of them in prison. We NEED SMALLER GOVERNMENT and LESS SPENDING!!!!!

Jan...get off the "I hate the government" whining...your post has nothing to do wth this article...

yes makes a good point...

bluepanther20: I'll not agree with you on this. Yes brought up this government crap, not I. And if you think solar panels in a car is a good idea, you need help also. Maybe you both are rich, but I am not. How's about just being responsible for your actions and maybe this poor little boy would have still been alive. It was the government agency DCF that dropped the ball on this one. So you still think I'm just preaching on my soapbox? Think again.

The Government needs to mandate solar powered venting systems, or something similar.

Always try and give the government less power, not more. They won't ever give it back once you've given it to them.

Is Yes really NY Mayor Bloomberg? Busy turning the City into a disaster while he wastes time telling people what they can eat, what they can drink, and they MUST breastfeed their babies! Never mind the City is going to hell in a handbasket...

Bloomberg will NOT be mayor of our great city for long. He is a perfect example of the infection that needs to be purged from local, state and federal government.

Jan..I will give you the gov thing...yes did bring it up, so I apologize. I meant yes made a good point about the temps in a car...buut solar panels? Not even sure that would work. But no, I am far from rich...and yes the DCF did fail, but so did anyone who was in charge of that child while in their care...I hope DCF gets in trouble for this, however, I highly doubt it.

They didn't need solar power vent systems, all they needed was the ability to think ahead 2 minutes into the future & realize how hot it was going to get in there, & act accordingly ( i.e., don't leave the little tyke to cook inside the car ).

Here's where your argument loses its point, queenie. The fact of the matter is that this woman had been cited 3 times. That means that she and her daycare facility were being monitored. When she got the third citation, she should have had her license revoked immediately.

We're not talking about facilities that have their license and have had no complaints filed against them. She was on their radar because she had two violations and when she got the third citation (for the same violation) she should have had her license revoked immediately! Have the social workers there when parents come to pick up the kids that day and let them know then & there that this daycare facility is closed, effective immediately.

This isn't about smaller/bigger, less/more intrusive government; it's about government workers not doing their job. Had this daycare been shut down at the time of the third violation, this 4 year old would probably still be alive today.

While I appreciate your anger, please tell me WHO IS responsible for caring for a child? Can you say the PARENTS?

If one can't afford to adequately support a child, without help from others, one shouldn't HAVE the child in the first place.

Maybe if people considered what it means to be a PARENT and RAISE a child, and not abdicate that responsibility to OTHERS, we might not have all of the problems we do today.

queenie I have to disagree on the fact that you have to have a two income family I know a lot of families who get by on one income with the price of daycare some do better on one income. they are by no means rich but the children seem better adjusted. Also bigger government and more taxes does not solve the problems we face in this country. Time and time again we throw money and regulation at problems and for the most part it just makes things worst.

If one can't afford to adequately support a child, without help from others, one shouldn't HAVE the child in the first place.

...what?

So, unless one of the parents can stay home to take care of the children they shouldn't have kids? You do realize that most families require both parents to work just so they can get by, right?

Maybe my reading comprehension is poor, but are you really trying to argue that position?

Queeny, I don't know what you're ingesting that's making you see or hear these things, but the term I hear from the "Smaller gov't" group is not "help". It is "personal responsibility".

When I worked in a day care center years ago, we always did a head count everywhere we went. If we took the kids outside to the playground, we did a head count - when we came back in we counted again. Good day care centers teach their new assistants that from the beginning. We treated those kids like they were our own because they were special to their moms and dads and they were special to us. RIP little angel and I hope your family can find peace someday.

Possibly its the cheapest one in the area.

why are they having kids period if you can't take care of them?

@davefromca, are you really that big an idiot?? Millions of people use daycare so they can work to provide for their children. That inlcudes single parents. You really need to shut the f* up.

Parents possibly were not even told of the multiple infractions levied against this place. My child is grown, but I believe parents should be notified immediately in writing by governing entities when regulations/rules/laws are broken so they have the choice to find daycare, preschool, etc. that provides the proper level of care we all expect. Leilab, it sounds like you worked at an exceptional daycare with great employers and employees. Doing head counts all the time seems like it would be paramount and normal on a daily basis in any childcare setting. My heart just aches for this innocent child and his family. My deepest sympathies I send to them.

The child could have been sleeping. Don't blame the child!!

SHAWN-1387469

What a pathetic statement. Blame the child.

I am assuming that he was strapped into a child seat like he was supposed to be. Those are hard to get unbuckled. My 4 year old grandaughter can't do it herself. If they cared about his safety enough to use a safety seat, why would he be left?

If you have any car with a minimum of options, you cannot operate a window if the ignition key is NOT there because the windows are electric.

If you have children, you must know that practically all cars have a security lock inside the back doors to prevent exactly this : the opening of the door by a child.

Blame the four year old child and not the 20 year nitwit !!!!

Mommomcoocoo

The child could have been sleeping. Don't blame the child!

Thank you!!! It amazes me how many people will place the blame on everyone but who it should be blamed on!!

Don't blame the parents, they were working hard, trying to do the best they could I'm sure. To blame the child is just stupid! Blame the day care that was supposed to be watching the poor baby! If he was in a car seat, he couldn't get out of it, my kids never could. If the windows were rolled up, most cars are electronic and you have to have a key to roll them down! Think before you speak!!!

Why do people continue to leave their children with strangers before checking backgrounds, references and doing mid-day drop ins on the center? Seriously, u wouldn't give your house or car keys to just anybody, so why would you leave your precious child? Wake up people, day-care places are in business for money NOT because they love your child. CHECK THESE PEOPLE OUT and be hyper- aware of what is going on in that place and exactly who has contact with your child.

SHAWN-1387469: You're blaming the four-year-old? I hope you're the dumbest person I interact with today, anyone dumber would just be depressing.

Do we really think a 4 year old can be held responsible for his/her own death when adults leave them possibly buckled in a car seat, in a car with windows rolled up, and left there?. Isn't that why the child was sent to the daycare in the first place ? - to be responsibly cared for!!!!

I do think that the parents have to be held accountable to some degree also, it is their responsibility to see that the daycare provider is maintaining the guidelines set forth by child protection agencies and government bodies that grant them the daycare agency its license. There are ways to check into the background of any agency, or at least see if there are infractions that you should be aware of.

It is really sad when we continue to read about the most vulnerable people in our population; our very young and our very old and how they suffer needlessly at times at the hands of caretakers that we have entrusted their care to, or even worse - their own family members!

The government cannot do anything about "that". "That" is a careless and disrespectful attitude toward the life of any human being that is not considered worthy by some to be cared for with dignity and love.

Meanwhile there are orchestrated marches and fundraising events with people that believe they have a right to stick their noses into the private lives of responsible adults who choose to use birth control, or exercise their rights to have an abortion. Instead, maybe these groups could coordinate eduational campaigns regarding:

1. NOT EVER LEAVING A CHILD, OR AN OLDER ADULT IN A VEHICLE IN HOT WEATHER.

2. MAKING SURE THAT THE OLDER PERSON, YOUNG CHILD OR INFANT HAS PROPER CLOTHING ON, IN VERY COLD WEATHER TOO!

3. NEVER LEVING A 5 YEAR OLD WATCH HIS 2YR OLD AND 3 YR OLD SIBLINGS WHILE MOM RUNS TO THE STORE.

3. NEVER LEAVING YOUR CHILD IN THE CAR, WITH IT RUNNING, WHILE YOU RUN IN THE QUICK-MART FOR SOMETHING.

4. NEVER HIT AN OLDER PERSON IF IT APPEARS THAT THEY DO NOT EVER HEAR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, INSTEAD GET THEM HEARING AIDS.

5. IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PATIENCE WITH THE OLDER PERSON IN YOUR CARE OR THE COLICKY BABY OR THE TODDLER IN HIS TERRIBLE 2'S OR 3'S - PUT THEM IN A SAFE PLACE, WITH ANOTHER ADULT, OR IN THE CRIB - BUT WALK AWAY AND COOL OFF!

yupthatsright - I really like your "common sense" list,... good job.

shawn - the Child was probably asleep the whole time... and Never woke up due to the Heat.

its possible that not all child restraint devices can be easily released by a child, especially a child who is already in a weakened condition....

just a suggestion Shawn.... THINK.... perhaps even say out loud what you are planning to POST,.. and if it sounds stupid when you repeat it, then hey... maybe don't post it ?

it doesn't always work for me either shawn, but a quick proofread cannot Hurt.

4girlsandaguy

OK... blame a 4 year old for not knowing what to do. Really pathetic.

In Pennsylvania any child under 4 feet tall is required to be in a child safety seat. If their laws are similar then this child would have been in a safety seat unless these people ignored that law as well.

Because maybe the child was asleep

Because maybe the windows are electric and need a key in the ignition to be lowered

Because maybe the doors had child protection preventing them to be opened from inside by a child

Because maybe the child was asleep and by the time he woke up he was too weak to get out of his seat

Because maybe we don't know the type of the car and how the seating was arranged

Once again blame the victim !!!! a FOUR year old !!!! Great reasoning American Girl.

I am assuming that he was strapped into a child seat like he was supposed to be. Those are hard to get unbuckled. My 4 year old grandaughter can't do it herself. If they cared about his safety enough to use a safety seat, why would he be left?

Or maybe he was told to stay in the car and "I'll be right back to get you." So, like any good little boy, he did what he was told and stayed in the car.

He trusted her to take care of him as any 4 year old does of any adult in their life. Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced and it cost him his life.

why are these idiots even have kids? If you cant take care of your kids....have your tubes tied !!!!! end of discussion !!!!

we got it, dave...you don't think parents should work and should stay home and rear the children.

I hate to tell you this, but there are a lot of single parents out there, and some that are married, yet both need to work. Responsible parents always take care of their kids. I am sure the parebnts of this little boy thought this day care was reputable and he was safe.

Besides, there are parents that stay home, and still bad things happen to their kidss because of their negligence.

Don't be so self-righteous.

It makes me sad to say this but if that had been my child, my guns would be loaded and I would be out my door.

Then you get executed or put in prison for life and the rest of your family suffers the loss of another loved one.

What then?

paul - if that had been your Child, you probably would have checked out the day care center for violations, and then would have used a more Reputable Day Care Center.

i would not even leave my Labrador at a Kennel without checking it out first.... This is the saddest thing i can imagine for a parent who Trust a caregiver with their child, to have to go through.

if you have a child in day care Anywhere, NOW might be a good time to perform a thorough Background check on the Business, and i personally would go and speak with the employees about Doing thorough and repeated HEAD COUNTS and Vehicle Sweep after any employee uses a vehicle to transport children.

Is there any such thing as Being Too Careful?