Police: Boy dies after being left in hot van at day care
The heartbreak of losing her beloved 3-year-old great-nephew has left Barbara Livingston numb. And angry.
Myles Hill died after being left in a hot van at a day-care center for nearly 12 hours on Monday, when temperatures reached the low 90s with a heat index in the triple digits.
“If you leave your child with someone, that person has the responsibility of taking care of them,” said Livingston, 71. “He had to lose his life because of someone’s neglect. It’s not right. It’s not right at all. If you have six kids get in the van, you make sure six kids get out of the van.”
Myles’s body was found about 8:30 p.m. Monday after a day-care worker for the Little Miracles Academy left him in the back seat of a van after dropping kids off for the day about 9 a.m.
Police say charges are pending against the driver, who told police she did not do a head count when dropping off the children, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.
“This is your worst nightmare come true,” Mina said Tuesday morning.
Livingston said family members became concerned about 8 p.m. Monday after Myles was not brought home at 6:30 p.m. The van was sometimes late, but never later than that. She said his grandmother, who has custody, kept calling the day care — to no avail. She had spoken to the owners earlier that day, arranging to order a new school uniform for Myles, Livingston said.
The grandmother called police and went to the day care on Plymouth Avenue near Orange Blossom Trail, Livingston said.
“I was on the phone with her and she started to scream, ‘He’s in the van, dead!’” Livingston said.
The grandmother called 911, and police found Myles on the floor in the back seat of the van. Mina said a day-care worker also called officers.
“This is an absolute tragedy which could have been prevented,” Mina said.
Mina said an autopsy would be performed, but it’s likely the boy died from heatrelated causes. He would have turned 4 on Aug. 22.
The day care owners, Audrey and Bryant Thornton, who also own a second day care on West Colonial Drive, could not be reached for comment. Both day cares are “closed until further notice,” said signs at both places.
Livingston said her nephew was a smart boy who liked to be with family.
He often had a smile on his face, whether he was cuddling with his grandmother or showing his great aunt how to play a race-car game on his tablet.
“He was always doing something,” she said. “He was a very happy little boy.”
Myles is the fifth child to die in a hot car in Florida and the 33rd nationwide this year, according to NoHeat Stroke.org.
Amber Andreasen, director and volunteer manager of nonprofit child safety organization kidsandcars.org, said these deaths can easily be prevented by people simply checking the vehicle before going inside.
“Child-care facilities need to take every safety precaution,” she said. “They need to double, triple and quadruple check that every child is out of the vehicle.
Mina did not say if the owners would face charges in Hill’s death. “The day-care worker has been very cooperative and is obviously very distraught,” Mina said.
But the state’s Department of Children and Families is “pursuing every legal option available to cease operations by [today] at both of these facilities,” even though their investigation isn’t complete, department secretary Mike Carroll said.
According to DCF records, Little Miracles Academy failed to comply with the “transportation rule” during a July 11 inspection. The facility’s log did not include elements such as arrival and departure times and destination locations, according to the report. The problem was fixed right away, according to records.
It was one of five violations during DCF inspections since 2015. Other violations included not having a caretaker in sight when the children were napping and not keeping attendance records during a fire drill, the records say. Records show the Thorntons filed in 2009 to open the business.
Livingston said she thinks the owners also should face criminal charges.
“I know it’s not going to bring him back, but someone has to be held accountable,” she said. “It’s just a must.”
The mood was somber Tuesday morning among the community of people who live and work nearby. Several people delivered flowers, toys and balloons to the day care’s gate to remember and mourn Myles.
DCF officials said they are connecting families with children enrolled at Little Miracles Academy with day care options through the Early Learning Coalition.
On Tuesday night — in front of the spot where Myles was found — dozens of family and community members crowded around a makeshift memorial that grew throughout the day, expressing grief and demanding justice.
“It’s not right. It’s not fair,” Myles’ aunt Betty Federick told the crowd. “Now my family, we’re suffering, we’re hurting for a child that’s innocent, that didn’t even have a chance to start life.”
Corey Esters, Myles’ grandfather, said the family has not yet heard from the owners of the day care — especially painful, he said, because he has known Audrey Thornton for a long time.
“We know her; we went to school together. It would’ve been different if she had come out,” Esters said.
“The fact that we know her personally and that she hasn’t come out … it would’ve been easier to forgive.”