3-year-old boy
found dead in day care van was in vehicle all day, Orlando Police say
A 3-year-old boy found dead in a day care transportation van Monday
night had been in the vehicle all day, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.
The boy, Myles K. Hill, would have turned 4 in two weeks. A day care
worker picked him up from his grandmother’s home Monday morning, but did not
notice that he was still in the van when she dropped other children off at
the Little Miracles Academy on West Colonial Drive, then brought the van
back to the day care center’s other location on Plymouth Avenue.
When
Myles didn’t come home from day care, his grandmother called 911 to file a
missing child report. She also called the day care, where a worker checked
the van, found the boy, and called 911, Mina said.
“This is an
absolute tragedy which could have been prevented,” Mina said Tuesday
morning.
Criminal charges are pending against the driver, he said.
She told officers that she did not do a head count when dropping the
children off, Mina said. He did not release her name or say what charges she
could face.
“The day care worker has been very cooperative and is
obviously very distraught,” Misa said.
The Florida Department of
Children and Families previously cited the day care for transportation
issues when they last inspected it in July, records show.
The day
care failed to comply with the “transportation rule” during a July 11
inspection. The facility’s log did not include elements such as arrival and
departure times and destination locations, according to the report.
The problem was fixed right away, according to records.
It was one of
five violations during DCF inspections since 2015. Other violations included
not having a caretakers in sight when the children were napping and not
keeping attendance records during a fire drill, the records say.
According to the Florida Department of State, the day care is owned by
Audrey and Bryant Thornton. Records show they filed to open the day care in
2009.
The second location — Little Miracles Academy II — is at 2514
W. Colonial Dr. Both locations were closed Tuesday morning.
Nearby
residents poured onto the sidewalks Monday night to watch as about a dozen
police cars surrounded the day care after the boy was found. Several mothers
clutched the hands of their own children.
Word of a dead child
reached nearby resident Laurie Allen, who said she felt compelled to show
support for the family. She thought of her own 4-year-old grandson and said
she was saddened and angry.