Scott County woman charged in infant’s 2019 death, for running an unlicensed daycare
SCOTT COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) – A Scott County woman faces charges in an infant’s May 2019 death.
According to court documents, an investigation into Frontage Road daycare, operated by Candace Jones, began after a 6-month old was pronounced dead at Scott Memorial Hospital on May 30, 2019 following the child’s death earlier in the day.
As the investigation began, police learned that Jones cared for eight children, ranging in ages from 6 months to 3 years. Investigators, also learned, documents show, that Jones was running the daycare without a license.
Documents state that Jones placed the infant on her stomach, on a bed at 3 p.m. Jones then proceeded to place comforters or blankets on the bed as a means to contain the child on the bed. An officer said, while conducting his report, he witnessed six pillows and two comforters on the bed, documents show.
Then around 4:45 p.m., Jones went back into the bedroom when the child’s mother arrived and noticed that the child was on its back with a comforter on top of her. Documents show the infant was taken to Scott County Memorial Hospital where the baby girl was pronounced dead.
The doctor, who conducted the autopsy, said the child likely rolled on the bed and died of asphyxia by suffocation on either a blanket or pillow.
Then during a July 2019 interview, the documents show that Jones stated a baby monitor was not in the room where the child was sleeping and that she was actually outside of the house for the last 20-30 minutes prior to the infant’s mother arrived at the daycare.
On June 15, 2020, Jones was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, reckless supervision by a child care provider and operating a child care home without a license.
