A day care driver allegedly turned off the safety alarm for the van that a 2-year-old Florida boy died in late last month.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a recently-released county report stated that the unidentified driver exited the white Ford E-350 Super Duty van and walked around the back to disable to alarm. The driver returned to the van and got the children—except Noah Sneed, who was reportedly left inside for about five hours.
Sneed was reportedly one of seven children picked up and transported to Ceressa’s Daycare & Preschool in Oakland Park. Police said a day care employee found the toddler dead in the parked van at around 3:30 p.m.
The county report said the driver is required to check each seat before turning off the alarm, which is located outside of the van. The alarm is activated when the ignition turns on and it emits a loud sound within a minute of being turned off, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The Miami Herald reported that Broward’s Child Care Licensing and Enforcement found multiple violations at Ceressa’s Daycare & Preschool following Sneed’s death. Officials found that attendance wasn’t taken in the van or when the children arrived at the day care. They also claimed Sneed wasn’t in a car seat, which is required by law.
Sneed’s mother told the Herald that she strapped her son into a car seat that morning. She said she’s confused as to how her son ended up in a regular seat only secured by a seat belt.
Though the day care was hit with multiple Class 1 citations—the most severe—no arrests have been made in connection with Sneed’s death. However, police confirmed to the Miami Herald that a manslaughter investigation is underway.
Reports indicated that Ceressa’s Daycare & Preschool has been closed since Sneed’s death on July 29. Agency coordinator Tracy Graham told the news outlet that the day care owner voluntarily surrendered the facility’s license on Monday.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, the day care was fined twice in 2010 and once in 2017. Currently, the day care is facing six violations—five which carry a maximum fine of $500.
“It’s permanently closed,” Broward’s Child Care Licensing and Enforcement division manager William Karp said of the day care where Sneed died.
“Even though they are no longer operating, the fines will be imposed.”
[Featured image: Noah Sneed/Facebook]
