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An Ohio woman is in jail after pleading guilty in connection with the suffocation of a 7-month-old boy at her unlicensed home daycare business.
the child, Grant Simmonsdied on March 10 after being cared for Melanie DiMarzio at her home in East Canton, where she ran her daycare with her husband, every day Canton Reservoir.
Grant suffocated after being laid down for a nap on a bed instead of a crib, Stark County Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Petricini said in court, according to the newspaper.
DiMarzio, 46, was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday, October 27, on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment following her guilty plea.
As part of her plea agreement, a first-degree murder charge was dismissed, the Canton Repository reported. If she had been convicted of the charge, she would have faced up to 11 years in prison.
“Because of her negligence, my son is gone forever,” Grant’s mother, Melissa Williamswho goes by Missy, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
DiMarzio was arrested on July 21, months after Grant’s death, Cleveland 19 News reported. She was taken into custody by East Canton police and the US Marshals Service.
DiMarzio is out on her current bond arrangement but was ordered to go to jail on Nov. 9 to begin serving her five-year sentence.
On March 10, police first responded to a 911 call reporting that Grant was found blue and not breathing after going down for a nap at DiMarzio’s home, which was a cash-only daycare. He eventually died in a hospital.
“My client is extremely sorry for what happened,” said DiMarzio’s defense attorney, Daniel Funkat her sentencing hearing, according to the Canton Reservoir. “Part of her reason for appealing today is that she didn’t want the family to have to go through it again. This is an unfortunate tragedy.”
In court, Williams said, “I trusted Melanie.”
An Indiana mother, who is also a licensed daycare operator, is accused of fatally neglecting her newborn son after she allegedly left the baby to sleep on an adult bed with her 6-year-old sister. Brooklyn Davis was arrested and charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent in connection with the Sept. […]
“I have known her and her family for years. I trusted her with one of my most precious things, my beautiful boy, Grant,” she said, in the newspaper.
DiMarzio was accused of running a daycare without proper sleeping arrangements for infants and toddlers in her care, according to court filings seen by NBC affiliate WKYC. She also reportedly did not use baby monitors.
She told investigators she would care for five to 10 children a day in her now-closed business, the TV station reported.
In his Facebook post on Tuesday, Williams wrote “Learning about everything that happened that day will turn anyone’s stomach,” referring to Grant’s death.
Grant was Williams’ youngest son, according to a GoFundMe created by her friend, Tony Cooperin support of Grant’s funeral and memorial expenses.
“Grant left this world too soon,” the boy’s online obituary reads.
“Although Grant’s time here was not long enough, he impacted the lives of all who were lucky enough to know him. Grant was full of life and was always smiling,” the page continues.
