Unlicensed Daycare Providers Charged after Death of Infant

Posted

Prince William County police detectives charged two daycare providers with child endangerment stemming from the death of three-month-old Teagan Sample while under their care.

According to police, Yolanda Gracelia Larin, 50, of Manassas and Mirna Mendez, 42, were charged with five counts of child endangerment while operating an unlicensed day care facility at 13200  Sapphire Ridge Place. Larin and Mendez have only been charged in reference to the daycare operation.

"Detectives are treating this case as two separate investigations, the child death investigation and the child endangerment investigation relating to the daycare operation itself," the police report said.

CBSDC reported that after a day care provider discovered Teagan Sample unconscious at 12:42 p.m on Thursday, the infant was taken to the hospital where medical staff pronounced her dead. There were reportedly no signs of physical trauma.

Police reported that 23 children, who's ages ranged from newborn to four years old, were at the residence when police arrived to investigate the death. Five children were less than 12 months old.

The unlicensed daycare operation has been shutdown by Child Protective Services and Code Enforcement, who assisted police in this investigation. However, the investigation into the child's death is still ongoing and an autopsy is expected soon, police said.

The court date for both women is set for May 16, 2012;  both are being held without bond.

13200-sapphire-ridge-place, bristow, care, day, day-care, daycare, dead, detectives, featured, guardians, infant, infant-found-dead-at-unlicensed-bristow-day-care-center, mirna-mendez, news, parents, police, prince-william-county, prince-william-county-police, prince-william-police, sapphire-ridge-place, silver-leaf, teagan-sample, unlicensed, unlicensed-day-care, va, yolanda-gracelia-larin