The owner and three employees of a New Hampshire daycare are facing serious charges for allegedly spiking kids' food with melatonin.
Sally Dreckmann, 52, the daycare owner, along with her staff members Traci Innie, 51, Kaitlin Filardo, 23, and Jessica Foster, 23, have been slapped with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Manchester Police Department revealed.
Authorities claim that the children's grub at the in-house daycare was laced with melatonin without their parents getting wind of it or giving the nod. Melatonin is generally considered a safe, short-term sleep aid by the Mayo Clinic.
However, Manchester Police Department spokesperson Heather Hamel voiced concerns to WDHD, stating: "This is an over-the-counter drug that can be given as a sleep aid, but for it to be given to children without the knowledge or consent of the parents, it's very concerning."
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Four people were arrested following a long investigation after authorities were alerted to unsafe practices at the day care in November last year (Getty Images)The arrests came after a lengthy probe into the daycare's "unsafe practices" which were first flagged up in November last year. Cops have confirmed that thankfully, none of the kiddos required medical treatment after consuming the melatonin-tainted nosh.
This disturbing incident follows another daycare nightmare where a nine-month-old baby girl suffered horrific third-degree burns from a bottle warmer accident in North Carolina this March.
The family of Addison Starnes, a little girl from Concord, was informed that their toddler would need two surgeries to recover from severe burns she sustained. The incident reportedly occurred on February 28 while she was at Concord Children's Academy for daycare, leaving her with burns on her jaw, neck, stomach, chest, arms, legs, and back.
The family's lawyers stated: "We believe that Addison was in a highchair waiting to receive her bottle when a bottle warmer was overturned, causing the scorching water to spill and severely burn Addison."
Food that the children were eating and which was being provided by the in-house day care was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parents' knowledge or consent (Getty Images/iStockphoto)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Addison was rushed to Wake Forest Baptist's Pediatric ICU Burn Center, where she is currently receiving treatment. "Addison's family would appreciate your thoughts and prayers," read a statement from the family's attorney.
A 911 call was made at 7.45 am. Due to the severity of the baby's injuries, first responders contemplated airlifting her to Chapel Hill or Winston-Salem.
A GoFundMe page description read: "We are trying to help anyway we can as both of them are out of work along with having two other small children who still need to be cared for and as we all know bills don't stop even in an emergency like this," The Department of Health and Human Services has previously raised concerns about the level of first-aid training at the daycare.
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