4-Month-Old Baby Dead After Daycare Co-Owner Left Child Inside Hot Van

A 4-month-old baby girl died after she was left alone for nearly five hours inside a daycare van in Florida, authorities said Thursday. Darryl Ewing, 56, the driver of the van who is also a co-owner at the center, was arrested following the incident.

According to local media, the infant, along with other children, was picked up at her home Wednesday morning. The driver took them to Ewing’s Love and Hope Daycare Center in Jacksonville. Ewing parked the van out front but left the baby inside. The local sheriff’s office said in a statement on Facebook that the infant was strapped in her car seat in the third row.

Police said the baby's mother had called the facility to make after-school arrangements for her children, and that was when she learnt the child was never checked into the center. When the daycare center's employees went out to the van looking for the baby, they found the girl unresponsive strapped in the seat. The employees immediately called emergency services and the baby was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

During the investigation into the child's death, it was revealed that Ewing was supposed to maintain a separate driver’s log listing all children who board the van. Police said the record showed he logged in the infant's two siblings, but not the little girl.

"It was determined the suspect’s actions (and lack thereof) failed to provide the victim with the necessary supervision and provide services to protect the victim’s physical health, all which was essential to the victim’s well-being and contributed to the death of the victim," the local sheriff’s office said.

Ewing was arrested and booked into jail for child neglect. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) suspended the daycare center’s license in the wake of the incident, saying it was unaware the center was transporting children.

“Tragically, today a family has just been notified of the gut-wrenching loss of their precious baby girl,” DCF Secretary Chad Poppell told News 4 Jax. “DCF immediately opened a joint child death and child care licensing investigation in coordination with law enforcement. We will continue to support this family as they mourn the loss of their baby girl.”

According to Duval County Jail records, obtained by News 4 Jax, Ewing was arrested at least four times before. However, it was not immediately clear when and why.

Gloryian Ewing, the other owner of the facility, was arrested 18 months ago on two counts of child abuse for allegedly beating her own teenage children with an extension cord, according to the report.