A driver at a Florida day care is expected to face criminal charges after a toddler was found dead on the floor of a van Monday (Aug. 7). According to Orlando police, 3-year-old Myles Hill spent the entire day in the vehicle while it sat in the parking lot of Little Miracles Academy.
The tragedy is believed to be heat related as temperatures inside the van reached 94 degrees. An autopsy will reveal Hill’s official cause of death.
Hill was supposed to be dropped off earlier in the morning at another day care location, but was subsequently left in the van for at least 12 hours. It’s unclear if the day care worker locked the vehicle.
Authorities have yet to reveal the name of the driver, or the criminal charges. The employee however is cooperating with authorities, and reportedly admitted to not taking a headcount after returning to the day care center.
Little Miracles was previously found in violation of several state rules including failing to update the daycare’s transportation log, and leaving a babies unattended during nap time. During an April inspection, state investigators were unable to verify “licensing, certification and CPR training, seat belts and child restraints” because the driver was unavailable, reports Orlando’s WESH 2 news.
Hill would have celebrated his birthday in two weeks. A candlelight vigil was held for the boy on Tuesday.
“My baby is 3 years old. He’s 3,” his heartbroken mother Chiel Banks told Orlando’s ABC affiliate, WFTV. “He’s going to be 4 on the 22nd of this month and he’s not going to have a birthday.”