Baby Locked In Daycare: Parents Break Into Houston Daycare To Rescue 10-Month-Old Son After Staff Goes Home For The Night
A baby was locked in a daycare, forcing his parents to break in to rescue him.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Sharonda Ross, 30, arrived at Joann’s Day Care in Houston to pick up her 10-month-old son Jordan on Monday, July 27, only to find the parking lot empty and the doors locked. She said she banged on the doors, and even called the facility, but there was no response. Thinking that her husband Lawrence Matthews may have already picked Jordan up, Sharonda rushed home. When she arrived, however, she was horrified to find out that her little boys wasn’t there.
“I was thinking this isn’t happening. I’m dreaming,” Ross told ABC News. “I’m going to wake up and it’s going to be a dream. I’m just at a loss for words.”
The daycare normally closes at 6:00 p.m., however Ross said she had made a special longstanding arrangement with the child care center to pick him up as soon as her shift as a security guard ended, which also happened to be at 6:00 p.m. Never did she think that the staff would forget her child and leave him alone in a crib to cry for help.
“They always had an understanding that me and other parents get off at six and can come directly to the daycare,” Ross said.
The pair immediately returned to the daycare and broke a window to gain access to the inside after hearing Jorda’s cries.
“I banged on the window to see if someone maybe fell asleep. I heard my baby crying louder after the third time. I knew that was my baby,” Ross said. “That’s when I told my husband to break the window.”
In a disturbing video, captured by Sharonda on a cell phone, baby Jordan’s cries can be heard as his father searches the building for him, later passing him through the broken window to his mother, who can also be heard crying.
On Tuesday, July 28, Joanne Davis, the owner of the daycare, issued a statement to ABC News affiliate KTRK, apologizing for the incident.
“First I’m deeply, terribly sorry,” Davis said. “I thank God he was OK… It was our mistake. I’m not saying it’s not… but the main thing is the baby’s okay, and I’m sorry as I can be.”
Ross said she recorded what happened to show the daycare and the police why they broke the window. She also filed a report with the Harris County Sheriff’s office, which is still currently investigating the child abandonment claim.
Ross said she will probably never leave her child at a daycare again.
“I don’t see myself allowing him to go to daycare,” she said. “I’m going to be at work and asking, ‘Is my baby by himself? At what point did you forget my child was there?'”
According to Davis, the worker who left Jordan will not be fired.
What do you think about the baby being locked in the daycare? Should the employee face disciplinary actions? Leave your comments below.
[Photo via video screenshot]
