Home daycare owner who 'had difficulty recalling' how many kids she watched is sentenced for suffocation death of infant

A 46-year-old erstwhile daycare proprietor successful Ohio is headed to situation implicit the decease of an 8-month-old boy, who suffocated aft she enactment him down for a nap successful a furniture alternatively than successful a crib.

Common Pleas Court Judge Chryssa Hartnett connected Tuesday sentenced Melanie DiMarzio to 5 years successful a authorities correctional installation aft she pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of third-degree involuntary manslaughter and 1 number of endangering children successful the decease of Grant Simmons, tribunal records show.

In speech for her plea, prosecutors dropped an further complaint of first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

According to a transgression ailment obtained by Law&Crime, officers with the Village of East Canton Police Department connected March 10 responded to a location connected South Market Street for a aesculapian exigency telephone involving an infant. The unfortunate was unresponsive erstwhile archetypal responders arrived and transported him to a adjacent infirmary for treatment. He was pronounced dormant soon aft arriving astatine the facility.

Police discovered that DiMarzio was providing childcare astatine the residence contempt lacking a licence for the operation. In its ailment seeking to unopen down the business, the colony said DiMarzio told investigators she typically watched betwixt 5 and 10 children for astir $45 per kid per day, paid successful cash.

The ailment alleged that the location lacked due supervision and sleeping arrangements for infants and toddlers. It besides said DiMarzio had "difficulty recalling however galore children she babysat," lacked existent CPR certification and different aesculapian training, had nary ceremonial program for a occurrence oregon different emergency, and had nary babe monitors oregon cameras to observe children successful abstracted areas of the residence.

At slightest six children were astatine the location connected the time Grant died, the ailment alleged: Grant, 2 23-month-olds, a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old. The filing further said DiMarzio told constabulary she did not cognize the 1-year-old's past name.

On March 20, a justice granted a impermanent restraining bid shutting down the daycare aft learning that DiMarzio planned to reopen connected March 23, according to a report from Cleveland-based CBS affiliate WOIO. After settling a lawsuit, DiMarzio reportedly sold the daycare.

DiMarzio was indicted successful July successful transportation with Grant's death. She initially pleaded not blameworthy earlier reaching a woody with prosecutors.

At Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Grant's parents described the nonaccomplishment of their son. His begetter remembered a babe who "always had a smile, nary substance what" and "loved life," according to the Canton Repository. He besides addressed DiMarzio directly, saying, "I anticipation your compartment is cold."

Grant's parent reportedly said she had trusted DiMarzio to attraction for her lad and questioned DiMarzio's remorse by highlighting however she wanted to reopen the daycare connected the time of Grant's funeral.

The parent further criticized DiMarzio for taking a household cruise aft Grant's decease and posting "Family is forever" connected societal media.

The justice echoed those sentiments, addressing DiMarzio directly.

"How code deaf bash you person to beryllium to enactment that retired there?" Hartnett asked the defendant.

The justice besides told DiMarzio, "You decidedly did things that you should not do," the Repository reported.

DiMarzio, who did not talk during the hearing, indispensable study to the Stark County Jail connected Nov. 9 to statesman serving her five-year sentence.