Orlando Sentinel

On a 911 call regarding the disappeanc­e of a 3-year-old boy from a day-care facility, the words couldn’t be more chilling. “From what I’m looking at,” a woman on the recording says, “the child is dead.”

- By David Harris Staff Writer dharris@orlandosen­tinel.com; 407-420-5471; Twitter: @DavidHarri­sOS

Orlando Police on Thursday released two 911 calls in the case of 3-year-old Myles Hill, who was found dead Aug. 7 after being left in a hot van for 12 hours.

A day care worker called 911 around 8:30 p.m. after seeing Myles’ body in the van in the parking lot of Little Miracles Academy on Plymouth Avenue near West Gore Street.

A woman identified as Sandra Adkins in a police report told the dispatcher that her boss called after Myles’ family started asking where he was so she went to the day care to see if Myles was there.

“The child is dead,” she said. “From what I’m looking at, the child is dead.”

Toward the end of the call, Brenda Watts, Myles’ guardian and grandmothe­r, can be heard in the background asking where he is. “He’s gone,” Adkins said. “Gone where?” Watts asks. “He’s gone,” Adkins repeats.

Screaming and crying can be heard in the background.

Myles was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy showed he died of hypertherm­ia as a result of environmen­tal exposure.

Watts called 911 about 20 minutes earlier to report Myles missing. She said the day care typically drops him off between 6 and 6:30 p.m., but he had not come home.

“They say my baby didn’t go to school today but he went to school today,” she told the dispatcher. “I gave them the payment and signed the paper for my baby this morning. And now it’s after 8 and my baby still ain’t home yet.”

The Department of Children and Families shut the day care down.

Owner Audrey Thornton wants to keep the day care open, said her attorney Robert Nesmith.

He’s in the process of filing an appeal with DCF and the District Court of Appeals.

Nesmith said Thornton is still hurting from the incident.

“This is still all very fresh to her,” he said.

Myles’ funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Orlando First Baptist. He will be buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Investigat­ors say the day care’s driver, Deborah St. Charles, picked up Myles and other children in the morning and drove to the location on West Colonial Drive.

She let the kids out, but failed to do the required head count and vehicle check. She drove to the second location, parked the van and got out, again without checking to see if anyone was inside.

St. Charles, 51, was arrested on an aggravated manslaught­er of a child charge. She remains at the Orange County Jail on a $30,000 bond .

Myles’ family members say they believe Thornton should also be charged. Police have not said if they plan to pursue a case against her.

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