An Alpharetta daycare owner told police she left a 3-year-old boy alone outside for a few minutes while she disciplined another child, according to a police report released Friday. When she returned, the boy had a piece of string around his neck and apparently was not breathing.
Janna Thompson, who owns Ms. Janna’s Daycare, called 911 and began doing CPR on the boy before firefighters arrived Monday morning. But Thomas Stephens died two days later at the hospital.
In an emailed statement released Friday afternoon to Channel 2 Action News, Thompson said she had cared for the boy, known as Max, for three years.
“I have cared for Max in my home for three years and he was loved as one of my own,” Thompson said. “My grief pales in comparison to that of his parents.”
The Roswell boy’s death at the in-home daycare came less than six months after the home’s playground was deemed unsafe during an inspection, state records showed.
The daycare, which is licensed to provide care for up to six children, was ordered to close after the boy’s death, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning said Thursday.
“Emergency closures are used by the agency when it is determined that there has been a death of a child that was not medically anticipated,” Reg Griffin, agency spokesman, said in an emailed statement. “In this incident, DECAL found serious rule violations contributed to the death of a child.”
The boy died from asphyxia, or lack of oxygen, according to Alpharetta police and the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Investigators believe the child’s death was attributed to hanging.
Police and firefighters were called at 9:54 a.m. Monday to the center, located on Shady Grove Lane, and arrived to find a woman performing CPR on the boy, George Gordon, spokesman for Alpharetta police, said in a news release. Firefighters began emergency life-saving measures.
“I do not know where he got the string, it was around his neck,” Thompson told police, the report states.
The boy was transported to a hospital, where he died Wednesday night, the medical examiner’s office said.
“We believe this is a tragic accident,” Gordon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We believe he was caught on a loop of twine while playing on a slide.”
Thompson has until Monday at 2 p.m. to appeal DECAL’s decision before an administrative law judge with the Office of State Administrative Hearings, Griffin said. If she does not appeal, the facility must close immediately and stay closed for 21 days while the agency determines what actions should be taken.
In a Jan. 27 licensing study at the center, a DECAL representative cited hazards on the playground, according to findings posted online.
“It was determined that the following hazards were observed on the outdoor play area: a wheel barrow located against the left fence, an unraveled water hose located to the right of the wooden deck, excessive tree limbs and pine cones were observed throughout the outdoor play area,” the report states. “Consultant observed two protruding nails to the right of the wooden ladder on the wooden climber on the outdoor play area.”
On the same day, a plan of improvement was discussed with Thompson, according to DECAL.
“To ensure the health and safety of children, the home provider will remove hazards from outdoor play area before use,” the report states.
State inspectors had not returned to the center until this week, following the incident on the slide, Griffin said.
The daycare's website shows several pictures of smiling children playing, along with words from Thompson and testimonials from parents.
“Our children are the future and how they are cared for now helps to develop who they will become!!” the website states. “Providing quality childcare for children allows me to be a positive influence in this process.”
— Angel K. Brooks contributed to this report.
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