Full Notification

The investigation into a September 10, 2013, sudden and unexpected death of a 5-month-old infant at a state-licensed, in-home daycare facility has been completed and is expected to be reviewed by the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office sometime next week.

The incident took place at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2013, at a licensed, in-home daycare facility located in the 3600 block of W. Fuller Drive in Fruitport Township.

The child had been sleeping in a Graco Playard (commonly referred to as a Pack ‘n Play) in a bedroom inside the in-home daycare facility. The owner’s manual for the Playard describes the item as being designed for both playing and sleeping.

The child was discovered to be unresponsive when the child’s mother arrived to pick him up. It was quickly determined the infant was not breathing. CPR was attempted while Fire/Rescue, EMS, and Police responded the scene. The infant was rushed to Hackley Hosptial, however attempts to resuscitate the infant were unsuccessful. The infant was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators from Fruitport Township Police Department and the Michigan Department of Human Services Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing conducted a joint investigation at the scene. The Department of Human Services Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing is the oversight agency for licensed daycare facilities.

There were no immediate signs of external trauma to the child and no evidence of abuse discovered in the daycare facility. The owner of the in-home daycare was fully cooperative during the investigation. Foul play was not suspected during the preliminary investigation, however it could not be ruled out without a full investigation – including an autopsy.

An autopsy was conducted by Sparrow Hospital Forensic Pathology after the incident. The cause of death was listed in the autopsy report to be Sudden Unexplained Infant Death.

No evidence of recent physical violence or trauma to the child was discovered during the autopsy, and nothing else discovered during the investigation suggested abuse toward this child or any other children at the daycare.

The investigative report will be sent to the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office for review, which is routine anytime something like this occurs. Questions regarding any daycare licensing violations and the current and future status of the license of the daycare facility should be directed to the Michigan Department of Human Services Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing.

No further information regarding this incident is being released by police at this time.



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