The investigation continues into the death of a baby who was found unresponsive at a Homestead daycare. NBC 6’s Heather Walker reports
A baby has died after he was found unresponsive Monday at a daycare in Homestead, officials said.
Ten-month-old Tayvon was pronounced dead after he was airlifted to the hospital, police said. According to family members, he was dropped off at Lincoln Marti Child Care in Homestead in the morning.
“He was fine this morning, so I don’t understand what could have happened. I don’t know," said Adrienne Harris, Tayvon's step-grandmother.
Miami-Dade Police said a call came in for an unresponsive baby in a crib. At around 1:30 p.m., the family received a call that the child stopped breathing.
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One of the attendants at the center saw the baby unresponsive, but with his eyes open, as she was preparing bottles to feed him. The staff attempted CPR but were unsuccessful, the family was told.
“My son called me, frantic, telling me his baby wasn’t breathing, and they rushed him from the school to the hospital," said Sean Tomlin, the baby's grandfather. "So I got on up and I came over here to try to find out what’s going on, and by the time they got to the hospital, they said they pronounced him dead.”
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The baby started attending the child care center a few months ago, the family said.
“I played with him while my son was getting him ready for school as I do every morning," Tomlin said. "I play with him while he is getting ready for school and after that, he went to school and I get this call later on.”
Homestead Police responded to the daycare, and Miami-Dade Police is now investigating the cause of death.
“As a result of a medical emergency, (Monday) afternoon a child was transported from a Lincoln-Marti childcare center in Homestead by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. It was later learned that the child passed away," the center said in a statement. "Lincoln-Marti is working with the authorities to determine what caused this tragic situation and offers its sincere condolences to the family. Out of respect for their privacy, no further comment will be made at this time.”
So far this year, Florida reported more than 230 child fatalities. None of them before now were reported from a daycare facility.
Incidents like this are very rare — in the most year available, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported only 23 child fatalities at daycare centers in the country.
