Three daycare workers pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide and tampering with governmental records in the death of 6-year-old Winter Jones, who was left in a hot van for hours after a morning pickup on Aug. 13. Winter was autistic and nonverbal, and she never got out of the vehicle when it returned to the Cordova parking lot. The outside temperature had reached 97 degrees when she was found unresponsive, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital that afternoon.
A Tennessee Department of Human Services investigation found serious transportation failures at Kid University daycare, including skipped walk-through inspections, inaccurate logs and no verification that children had exited the van. The daycare closed permanently the day Winter died. Two of the workers posted $50,000 bond Monday, the third was released Wednesday on the same bond, and a hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30. Winter’s uncle said simply, “She couldn’t advocate for herself at all.”
For families here on the Suncoast, this case is a reminder to ask specific questions of any daycare or program that transports children. How do drivers confirm every child has exited? Is the walk-through logged and initialed? What happens when a child doesn’t respond verbally? Those conversations are uncomfortable, but they are far less painful than the alternative. Have you ever asked your child’s daycare about their van safety procedures? Tell us in the comments.
