Death of 7-week-old girl at child care center investigated as homicide

Facility has had 11 violations in past 2 years

The death of a 7-weekold girl that is being investigated as a homicide occurred at a state-licensed child care center that has racked up 11 violations in the past two years, according to Milwaukee police and state court records.

Savaiyah A. Reid died from blunt force injuries at the Who’s Luvin’ You child care center, 7815 W. Villard Ave., Milwaukee police said.

Two suspects, a 17year-old girl and a 37year-old woman, were arrested in connection with the baby’s death, according to police, who were called to the day care operation when the baby was found dead about 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The facility is licensed to provide care for up to eight children ages 4 weeks to 13 years of age, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

The center has been cited for not completing background checks on two caregivers and for not having a staff record form on file for one of them, according to the agency.

Other violations since March 2016 include exceeding child capacity on 11 occasions, child access to dangerous materials — including a bottle of bleach labeled “Keep Out of Reach of Children” — and unprotected electrical outlets and electrical boxes, according to state records.

The facility was first licensed in 2002 and has a 3 out of 5 star rating through Youngstar, Wisconsin’s child care quality rating and improvement system.

If Savaiyah’s death is ruled a homicide, she would be the youngest homicide victim in Milwaukee this year.

A homicide at a licensed child care provider is extremely rare, Joe Scialfa, a spokesman for the Department of Children and Families, said in an email.

“In the four years that I have been at DCF, I do not remember another incident of a homicide that occurred while a child was in the care of a licensed provider,” he said.

The DCF doesn’t have a tracking system that specifically identifies homicides in licensed child care facilities, he said.