Daycare Nightmare: 8-Year-Old Suspected In Death Of Toddler


A routine home daycare visit became one family’s worst nightmare after a mother returned to find her 1-year-old son dead; she would later learn that the primary suspect in her son’s death is an 8-year-old girl. The victim’s name is Korey Brown, and he was dropped off at the 24-hour daycare, along with two other children, by his mother, Bryanna Reasonover, Thursday night.

When Ms. Reasonover returned to pick up her children from the Keysha Keepers daycare after work early Friday, she found her toddler son hidden away in one of the home daycare’s bedrooms. The 1-year-old was unresponsive when he was discovered tucked away in a Pack ‘n Play playpen, reports Fox News.

According to Muskegon Police Chief Jeffrey Lewis, the primary witness in the disturbing daycare death was also a child, an unidentified 5-year-old. The 5-year-old reportedly informed investigators that the children had been left unsupervised for an extended period of time, and the 1-year-old toddler wouldn’t stop crying. The 5-year-old witness went on to tell police that the 8-year-old “dealt with” the crying 1-year-old.

“The 1-year-old was crying, and it appears no one was attending to the child. The 8-year-old dealt with the baby crying.”

As MLive reports, Chief Lewis was incredibly disturbed by the scene first responders found when they arrived at the Michigan daycare just before 7 a.m. Friday.

“I thought I saw everything. This one floors me. I can hardly get a grip on it.”

First responders attempted to resuscitate the unresponsive 1-year-old for over an hour, but the child was pronounced dead at 8 a.m. at a local hospital. While the 8-year-old suspect is not being named, it is reported that she was not a resident of the home daycare, but rather another charge of the daycare provider, and had been dropped off at the daycare at about 2 a.m., just hours after the 1-year-old arrived.

According to Chief Lewis, there were no visible signs of injury to the deceased infant, and a cause of death has not yet been determined despite an autopsy having been performed Saturday. However, as Fox17News reports that little Korey Brown’s mother disputes this account. According to Bryanna Reasonover, her son had visible bite marks on his face and other marks and bruises on his body when she arrived to find him unresponsive at the daycare.

“Bruises and bite marks on his face, bite marks on his fingers. It was bad. I found Korey in a Pack ‘N Play, he was laying in there like he was asleep.

“When his face rolled over he had all these bruises on the side of his face. And that’s when I said what’s wrong with my baby’s face.”

According to Bryanna, none of the daycare workers had any idea that her son had been injured prior to her arriving to pick him up.

Police Chief Lewis surmises that the 8-year-old suspect in the case hid the unresponsive baby away after she allegedly caused the injuries that would end Korey’s life.

“This person that was involved in the death probably felt something was wrong. If you’re a child and break something, you try to hide it.”

Because the suspect in the death of 1-year-old Korey Brown is an 8-year-old child, police are struggling to come up with a plan to manage her care and placement. Reportedly, the 8-year-old was taken into police custody at the scene of the crime and transported to Mercy Health Partners Hackley Campus for a mental evaluation. Officers are relying on recommendations from the doctors at the facility when it comes to determining whether the 8-year-old suspect will be taken to a foster home, remain with family, or be housed in some other institution or setting for the duration of the ongoing homicide investigation.

The home daycare where the 1-year-old and 8-year-old were being tended is licensed to a Keysha Collins, who has refused to speak with the media. It has only been licensed by the state of Michigan since November of 2016 and operates 24 hours a day, six days a week (it is closed Saturday).

It is unclear if the daycare operator or any of the daycare aides will be charged in the death of 1-year-old Korey Brown. According to investigators, who refuse to comment on what charges the 8-year-old may face in the case, the children had been left unsupervised for at least “a couple of hours” when the tragic daycare death occurred.

[Featured Image by ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock]

Share this article: Daycare Nightmare: 8-Year-Old Suspected In Death Of Toddler
More from Inquisitr