Day care owner charged in child’s drowning

A 48-year-old woman is facing charges in the Oct. 5 drowning of a 22-month-old child.

A 48-year-old woman is facing charges in the Oct. 5 drowning of a 22-monthold child at her Pittsfield Township day care center.

Elizabeth Zenda, who turned herself in at about 10 a.m., Feb. 27, to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, is charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter of Annie Flynn, and two counts of child endangering.

Annie and her 23-month-old male cousin, of the Wellington area, were found in an above-ground swimming pool at a home in the 17000 block of West Road, south of state Route 303, according to deputies.

Zenda was operating her home as a day care center at the time of the drowning, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The children were given CPR by Zenda and another person at the residence, as directed by 911, until Wellington Fire and Rescue units arrived to render first aid, the release said.

The children were taken to Mercy Allen Hospital in Oberlin for treatment where Annie was later pronounced dead, according to deputies.

From Oberlin, the boy was flown to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland in critical condition. He is recovering, deputies said.

It is unknown how long the toddlers were in the water. A gate and fence surrounded the deck to the pool, but it is unknown if the gate was properly secured, according to deputies.

Zenda’s bond is set at $75,000.

Officials have not set a court date.

Zenda