A 5-year-old boy was found dead in a day care van after being left there for an entire day, authorities said
The boy might have been asleep when the van arrived at the day care on early Monday, and never got off the van. Furthermore, the vehicle remained in the parking lot, police mentioned. Unfortunately, the child was found dead in his booster seat hours later.
Investigations lead to the conclusion that the van for Ascent child care center picked up the boy before 7 a.m. and was supposed to drop him off at the center, with the other children. However, this never happened and the boy was found dead inside the van once they came to load children for the ride back home after 3 p.m.
The boy’s mother, who was in too much shock to be able to speak on camera, told CNN that she signed a sheet of paper that morning, around 6:39 a.m., indiating that her son was picked up and on the van. He arrived to the facility at 7:15.
While the family searches for answers, they also seek justice, said Carrie Smith, the boy’s great grandmother.
“You can see that my great grandbaby suffered in that van,” Smith told WMC. “That wasn’t right.”
She further described him as a sweet child. She also mentioned that she would always be there when he got off the van at home.
Police mentioned that the temperature in the parking lot was 91 degrees in the afternoon, when the authorities responded to the incident. Moreover, they said that there are safeguards against such an incident. The case is going to be forwarded to the Crittenden County District Attorney for possible charges on multiple people.
The Officials with the Arkansas Department of Human Services were also on scene investigating.
