3-year-old boy
dies after being left in back of daycare van in northwest Houston
A preschooler died after being left inside a hot daycare van for hours
Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Deputies with the Harris County
Precinct 1 Constable's Office were called around 7 p.m. to Discovering Me
Academy, a daycare center at 8021 Antoine in northwest Houston
The
3-year-old was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead, officials said.
Workers at the daycare facility are being questioned by authorities.
Authorities said that a bus driver and another adult had been chaperoning 28
kids on a field trip.
Discovering Me has faced no "administrative
penalties" or other sanctions within the past five years, according to Texas
Health and Human Services records. In the last five years, the center was
inspected 11 times by state regulators, who found no violations, these
records show.
Discovering Me Academy, founded in 2012, is run by
Tanisha Butler, state business records show.
On its website,
Discovering Me touts itself as a "safe and secure" daycare "dedicated to the
education and well-being of children." The center is authorized to enroll up
to 185 children.
Online reviews indicated that the center was
well-liked by parents, with a 4.6 star-rating over 43 reviews on Facebook.
"Never have I ever been more pleased, or impressed with a childcare
facility," one reviewer wrote. "The owner Tanisha runs a very tight ship."
Other details were not immediately available. Check back for updates on
this developing story as they come in.