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Former Indiana child care provider sentenced in child’s death

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) – A former child care provider in Tippecanoe County has been sentenced after a baby in her care died of suffocation.

Debra Keyes, also known as Debbie Houchin, was sentenced Wednesday to 1½ years on both counts – reckless supervision by a child care provider, a Level 6 felony, and operating a child care home without a license, a Class B misdemeanor. Six months of her sentence will be executed in the Tippecanoe County jail.

She had pleaded guilty to both charges in January.

The incident happened in April 2016, when medics were called to a home day care on Shenandoah Drive for a report of a child not breathing. The day care was run by Keyes, who admitted to police it was not licensed.

According to court documents, Keyes also admitted the wooden crib she used for child’s nap was broken.

A forensic pathologist performed the autopsy on the child and found the cause of death to be mechanical asphyxia.

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