A child care center is at the center of an investigation after a child was found dead in an SUV outside of a Louisville elementary school.
Officers tell WAVE 3 News that 2-year-old Lavonte Swain was left in an SUV belonging to Lil Kings and Queens Daycare. It was an employee of the child care center who was driving the SUV in which Swain died of heat stroke on Monday.
While police won’t release additional information about the employee at this time, WAVE 3 News found a long list of violations at Lil Kings and Queens three locations including investigations into tracking how long children were left in the vans.
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The daycare was found to not be in compliance because staff did not document the arrival time of four children, falsifying records and compromising the welfare of children. Complaints included leaving children unattended, leaving their food out for hours and making children sit in a circle for long periods of time without any activities, among other violations.
WAVE 3 News reports that an emergency license suspension has been issued by the Kentucky Office of Inspector General for the child care facility. The memo issued to parents and guardians of children at the facility stated, “The Emergency Suspension was issued to protect the health, safety and welfare of children in care. The center is required to surrender the license to operate and remain closed until further notice.”
The Kentucky Office Of Inspector General says that after an investigation, they have determined that an employee at Lil Kings and Queens picked up Lavonte from his home at 9:36 a.m. on April 18th, and, according to evidence, failed to deliver him to the facility as planned. Staff interviews revealed that Lavonte was not present at the center at any time on April 18th. The emergency license suspension states that the same employee who picked up Lavonte drove to a Louisville Elementary school to pick up more children. It was there that Lavonte was discovered in the backseat of the SUV by two school age children at around 3:45 p.m.. He was pronounced dead after being brought into the school for emergency resuscitation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the little boy’s family and all the children and families impacted by this tragedy,” said the Cabinet for Heath and Family Services (CHFS) Cabinet Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson. “Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens is our highest priority and we will not hesitate to take action against facilities that place children in harm’s way.”
CHFS staff members are working to find new day care services for the families of the children who attended the daycare and they are offering counseling services for the children who attended Lil Kings and Queens.
The name of the daycare employee who was driving the child has not been released. No charges have been filed.
