Four day-care employees fired after child’s death

Four people have been fired from a child-care facility after a 5-year-old died inside a vehicle.

Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, who has served as CEO of Ascent since 2013, said that “staff did not follow company policies and procedures, and if they had, this tragedy would not have occurred.”

He said Wednesday that he feels “overwhelming sadness” over the death of the child.

Christopher Gardner was picked up at 6:40 a.m. Monday by a van from the Ascent Children’s Health Services in West Memphis, The Associated Press previously reported.

The 5-year-old was never taken inside the facility, which serves children with developmental disabilities, and officials found him dead, strapped in a booster seat, more than eight hours later when employees were preparing to take children home.

The heat index for the area had reached nearly 100 degrees Monday afternoon.

Police have not said whether charges will be filed in the child’s death. The state Department of Human Services is investigating.

Sullivan says the company has been in contact with Christopher’s family and that it will continue to work with authorities investigating the death.

Ascent has operations across Arkansas, including centers in North Little Rock, Jonesboro and Arkadelphia.

The second- term state representative said in a statement that there “are simply no words to express the overwhelming sadness we feel at the death of this child.”

“We are heartbroken and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Sullivan stated.

The West Memphis location will be closed through today, the statement said.