Parents speak up on daycare death

One- year- old son died while in care

The parents of one- yearold Arto Howley delivered heart- wrenching victim impact statements Tuesday at the sentencing hearing for Maria McFerran, the owner of the Port Coquitlam daycare centre where their son died.

“The day I heard my son was killed, the good part of me died with him,” Jeff Howley told a courtroom filled with emotional family members.

At times breaking down in tears, the father described his life since Arto’s death, noting he’s gone into depression and alcoholism and contemplates suicide every day.

Howley also told the court the stress of his son’s death destroyed his marriage and cost him his job. He had to move to Alberta to live with his parents before moving to Kamloops, where he now resides.

Arto’s mother, Victoria Howley, showed the judge a picture of her young son during her statement. She said she has trouble seeing other children since her son’s death, adding the emotional scars have been overwhelming.

She called for changes to the daycare system, giving families easy access to information to make decisions about a daycare.

“We picked Maria McFerran based on the information that was available to us at the time,” she said. “We now know that information wasn’t complete.”

Arto Howley died on Jan. 17, 2011, — his first day at McFerran’s Rattle- N- Roll daycare.

Although the unlicensed facility was supposed to have only two children, on the morning of Arto’s death, six other children were in the care of McFerran and her daughter.

When the facts of the case were read out in court Tuesday, it was revealed that Arto died of strangulation. McFerran had put Arto in a car seat about 10 a. m., leaving him alone in a bedroom. When she checked back on him at 11: 15 a. m., Arto was unresponsive and slumped over in the seat.

McFerran removed the infant from the car seat and took him downstairs to her daughter. She put the car seat in the garage and then called 911 seven minutes later.

A tearful McFerran stood up in court to address the Howley family, quietly stating: “I just want to say I’m sorry.”

Sentencing was held over until May 27.