The cause of death of the three-month-old baby who died whilst at a daycare facility in Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD), has been determined as suffocation.
Kyrie Anthony Nelson of Lot 753 Fourth Drive, Kaneville, EBD, died on Friday afternoon while he was in a cradle at Mya’s Daycare.
Rebekha Anthony, a 23-year-old single mother of two, recalled dropping off her son at that daycare at approximately 8:00h, before heading to work. The daycare is owned by a 56-year-old woman who is currently on vacation, and the facility is currently being managed by two staff members.
According to Anthony, she received an urgent call from one of the employees, informing her that her child was unresponsive.
“The girl from the daycare called me and was saying, ‘Rebekha! Rebekha! It’s Kyrie’s teacher. Can you please come to the daycare now! And when you’re coming, please bring an ambulance’.”
“I asked her what happened, and she said they fed Kyrie, and when (they) went to check on him, they saw blood coming out of his nose, and he was not responding,” Anthony shared.
“I ran from where I was, and I came home and was crying for help…my nephew ended up going to the school, and he came back and said that they had Kyrie in their hands and they were not taking him to the hospital. He said he had to holler on them and tell them to take his cousin to the hospital.”
The woman said she and her family rushed to the daycare, and it was only upon their arrival that the staff decided to take the baby to the hospital by taxi.
“When my son arrived at the hospital, he was already blue. My baby had an oxygen mask on him, and they were pumping his chest. All I kept seeing was my baby’s belly going up and down, and he was not responding. I got down on my knees and started to pray, asking God to give my baby one more chance,” the tearful woman said. “The doctors said he didn’t have a heartbeat, but they found a pulse. They kept trying for an hour…I went outside, and then I saw my sisters come back outside crying, and I knew that my baby was gone.”
Anthony explained that following the birth of her son, she had stayed at home, and had only recently started to work, and, as such, had enrolled the child at the nearby daycare.
“I need justice for my son! (Friday) my son left home fine; he was playing and smiling with everybody. He was healthy and jovial. My child had no health issues, and if he was ever sick with a fever or anything, I would stay home and make sure I took care of him until he was better. I need justice for my son, because you cannot take people’s children…and when something goes wrong, not try to take them to the hospital,” she contended.
The Human Services and Social Security Ministry has said that, based on investigations, it was discovered that 24 children currently attend the facility, which includes three three-month-old babies.
According to the Ministry, the last time documents had been issued to Mya’s Daycare for renewing the Child Care Licence was on February 7, 2020.
