Tametria Norry, the driver, Sabrina Powe, assistant director of the Kid University daycare facility, and Amilya Hardin, an assistant at the daycare, were indicted in the August death of Winter Jones
Credit: Serenity Funeral Home
NEED TO KNOW
- Three daycare employees in Memphis, Tenn., have been charged following the death of a 6-year-old girl who was left in a hot daycare bus for hours
- Tametria Norry, the bus driver, Sabrina Powe, assistant director of the Kid University daycare facility, and Amilya Hardin, an assistant at the daycare, were indicted in the August death of Winter Jones
- The girl’s family called her death “senseless” and said they plan to pursue a civil case in her memory
Three people in Memphis, Tenn., have been charged following the death of a 6-year-old girl who was left in a hot daycare bus for hours.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said on Friday, Sept. 11, that Tametria Norry, the bus driver, Sabrina Powe, assistant director of the Kid University daycare facility, and Amilya Hardin, an assistant at the daycare, were indicted in connection with the case.
They were each charged with one count of aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide and destruction of and tampering with governmental records, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, WMC and WREG.
Memphis police and ambulance crews were initially called to a scene outside Kid University on Aug. 13. A girl, identified as 6-year-old Winter Jones, had been discovered in a bus outside the daycare and was later pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.
Bryan Jones, Winter’s father, said his daughter died with an “internal temperature” of 109 degrees, WREG reported at the time.
Credit: Sheriff’s Office
The D.A.’s office said in a statement that following Winter’s death, the Tennessee Department of Human Services conducted a fatality inspection at Kid University and found the daycare “noncompliant with several transportation requirements,” the outlets reported.
“Among the findings, inspectors reported that required vehicle inspection procedures were not completed after children were unloaded, the transportation log was not accurately completed, and required walk-throughs to confirm all children were off the vehicle were not conducted,” the D.A.’s office said, per the Commercial Appeal.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
On the day of her death, Winter was dropped off at Kid University in the morning, and daycare staff were supposed to take her to Macon Hall Elementary School. Instead, the 6-year-old “remained inside the daycare vehicle after it returned to Kid University” and was not found until around 3 p.m. local time that afternoon, per the D.A.’s office.
Winter’s family spoke out for the first time since her death, holding a press conference with their attorneys on Thursday, Sept. 10. Her father, Bryan, called her death “senseless” and said it was the result of “absolute negligence” by daycare staff, per WMC and the Commercial Appeal.
“This is an absolute nightmare,” Bryan said. “As a father, I won’t be able to walk her down the aisle. I won’t become a grandfather. I can’t watch Winter progress even though she was diagnosed with autism. Winter was progressing. All of that was taken away by absolute negligence, by people who were too busy doing nothing to where they couldn’t make sure Winter was taken care of properly.”
One of the attorneys, Walter Bailey, said that the daycare employees were being investigated for “many infractions” of childcare protocol and that the family will also pursue the case in civil court.
Credit: Serenity Funeral Home
Kid University permanently closed following the incident, WMC reported, as owner Dr. Raven Marshall-Lewis surrendered the facility’s license immediately afterward.
Winter’s mother, Nakia Cloman, recalled the moment she learned that her daughter had been left on the bus during a phone call from the daycare facility.
“She said, ‘Winter was left on the bus,’ and she said, ‘She’s barely breathing,’ and I started screaming,” Cloman said, per WMC. “As soon as I got to the hospital, she was no longer here. She was gone.”
“I don’t want another child to become a headline before people decide that something needs to change,” the grieving mother added.
Credit: GoFundMe
Taurus Bailey, another attorney for the family, read from a prepared statement that said they are committed to seeing the case through in honor of “Winter’s memory.”
“Winter was 6 years old. She was autistic, and she was unable to communicate when she needed help,” the attorney said, per WREG. “She was placed on the bus by these people, who promised to keep her safe, and that promise was broken.”
Read the full article here
