DUNWOODY — New documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News reveal more details about how a 4-month-old baby died in a day care owner’s care last week.
The baby died at Little Lovey Daycare in Dunwoody on Feb. 3. The day care owner, Amanda Hickey, 45, was charged with felony murder and cruelty to children.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach talked to the baby’s father, who said the family doesn’t want to comment and wants to keep the situation private.
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According to the police report, Hickey, who operated the day care out of the basement of her home, put the baby down for a nap in a playpen. Hickey told officers she put the baby to sleep on its back around 1 p.m., the way that she was trained and in accordance with state regulations.
Hickey said she walked away and when she came back, the baby had rolled over onto his stomach. Hickey said the child later became unresponsive and she called 911. The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.
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Warrants, however, reveal the surveillance video showed Hickey putting the baby to sleep on its stomach. Video showed the baby did “crawl a bit but (he) stopped around 1:45 p.m.,” warrants stated.
The footage also showed that Hickey did not check on him again until 3:45 p.m., when she found that he was not breathing.
According to the warrant, Hickey was charged with felony murder based on the fact that she placed the child face-down, causing his death. She was charged with second degree cruelty to children because of the “cruel or excessive physical or mental pain” she inflicted on the baby by putting him to bed face-down.
“Video reveals other actions which are under investigation,” the warrant stated.
The warrant said Hickey was watching eight or nine other children. The incident report contradicted the warrant and said Hickey was watching seven other children. State guidelines say that home day cares can accommodate six children and two more children in a part-time capacity.
A still image on the day care’s Facebook page shows video monitoring of a room with six Pack-N-Play cribs.
Hickey’s first court appearance was Saturday, where a judge ruled the case will be elevated to superior court.
Hickey had little to say during her appearance, just answering “yes” when the judge asked if she understood the charges against her.
Her attorney said she plans to plead not guilty and that she will seek bond.
Hickey and Little Lovey Daycare are well-known and appear to be well-liked in their community. A GoFundMe set up for her family and legal expenses has already raised more than $15,000.
The day care had recently been inspected and had good ratings on Qualityrated.org
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