Infant dies at Eudora day care, police say; facility’s license under emergency suspension
The license for a Eudora day care is under emergency suspension after an infant under the facility’s care died last month.
On Sept. 29 officers were dispatched to the Sunshine Kids Group Daycare Home, 1307 Chestnut Lane, for a report of an unresponsive infant, said Eudora Police Capt. Daniel Flick. On the scene police found day care staff administering CPR to a 9-month-old boy.
The infant boy was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Flick said.
A preliminary autopsy led investigators to believe the boy’s death was suspicious, Flick said. As the investigation continued, the department requested help from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
“Eudora is a smaller town department and with the amount of interviews that needed to be done we needed a few more investigators,” Flick said.
The Eudora Police Department released news of the infant boy’s death nearly a month after the fact to allow the family time to grieve, Flick said.
On Oct. 6, Sunshine Kids Group Daycare Home’s license was ordered to forego an emergency suspension, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The reason for the suspension is listed only as “Child Care Practices.”
The emergency order is now under appeal and awaiting a hearing, according to the KDHE.
During annual surveys conducted by the KDHE and ranging back to 2014, the day care has been noted as having several violations stemming from incomplete medical records and one violation involving a child sleeping in a closed area, away from a staff member, online reports indicate.
During the day care’s most recent survey, conducted on Aug. 24, no violations were noted, the reports indicate.
Records show a complaint was filed against the day care in July 2015; however, the findings of the resulting survey were not available online.
Representatives from KDHE did not immediately respond to an email Monday morning seeking additional information on the suspension or the 2015 complaint.
Flick said no arrests have been made regarding the investigation.
A representative for Sunshine Kids Group Daycare Home declined to comment for this story.