2-year-old dies after being found in van outside daycare

A 2-year-old boy died Wednesday evening after being found unconscious in a van outside the Vision for Life Academy earlier in the day, according to authorities.

The white van, which has the words Reaching Children for Christ Ministry on its side, was parked outside the academy at 4150 NW Seventh Ave., just west of Buena Vista.

Police would not say who found the boy — who was in the back seat of the van — just before 4 p.m. The toddler was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, with a police escort, in critical condition. The child was later pronounced dead.

It was not immediately clear how long the child had been in the van, if the child attended the daycare or if the van is owned by the daycare or an independent contractor.

Someone close to the investigation, who was not authorized to speak, said the child was likely in the van for hours.

The name of the child was not released Wednesday night.

Police tape surrounded the pink school building as officers investigated. Meanwhile, parents used the daycare’s back entrance to pick up their children.

According to the daycare’s Facebook page, Vision for Life Academy serves children 1-5 years old.

“A loving, caring and safe school for your little one,” the academy wrote on its page.

State records show four inspection reports. The center was out of compliance only once. The case had to do with immunization records for children enrolled there.

In 2012, 4-year-old Jordan Coleman died after being left in a sweltering van by the daughter of a daycare provider in Sunrise. That daycare, 3C’s Day Academy, had a long history of failed inspections.

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