Miami

Parents Remove Children From Miami Daycare After Death of Child in Van

Instead of dropping off their children at a Liberty City daycare Friday morning, parents were permanently removing their kids following the death of a two-year-old boy.

A mother was in tears following the death of her son Angel Matute Chavez, who died after he was found unresponsive inside a van in the daycare's parking lot on Wednesday.

Investigators were at the Vision for Life Academy Friday questioning what went wrong.

A parent says she was asked to come back to the daycare Friday morning to pick up paper work in order to take her five-year-old son to a new preschool, and she's not the only parent.

Parents on Thursday filed paperwork at the daycare in order to remove their children.

"How can you forget a whole child in a car- a whole baby in a car," parent Jessica Lewis said. "It's children you go to pick up so how can you just not remember who you brought with you."

The Department of Children and Family said the daycare was not authorized to transport children to begin with and according to a Miami-Dade County policy, the van should've had safety features in order to prevent a death like this.

"Any person that you lose under your responsibility is a problem," said Emy Etien, friend of daycare owner. "So, I can say she cares for those children as her own so I'm pretty sure she is devastated."

The daycare has an attorney who issued a statement on how the co-owner has dedicated 13 years of her life to the care of children and is in shock. The statement also says they are cooperating with Miami Police.

The daycare is closed to the care of children, however, a few people were seen inside working with parents, including state and city employees.

"Next time it could be one of them and I'll have no sympathy," a parent said.

Charges are pending based on a death investigation with Miami Police and DCF.

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