Milwaukee day care closed, toddler left inside alone
MILWAUKEE - A day care on Milwaukee's north side closed – leaving a 19-month-old boy inside alone – Thursday night, Aug. 10.
Kendra Jordan said when she went to get her son before closing time, but the building was already locked.
"My trust with day cares, period, is gone," she said.
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Jordan said she dropped off her son, Kay’vontae, at Amazing Mays Child Care near Fond du Lac and Melvina before work Thursday afternoon.
When she went to pick him up as usual at 11:30 p.m., a half-hour before close, she said no one would answer the door.
Amazing Mays Child Care
"Five minutes go by, OK, 10 minutes go by, 15 minutes go by, 20 minutes go by," she said. "I’m like, ‘That’s it.’"
Jordan said when calls to the day care's owner failed, she tried police.
"The first thing that came to my mind: Either he’s in the building, or somebody took him," said Jordan.
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In the early morning hours Friday, roughly three hours after Jordan originally showed up, she said the owner arrived and brought out her son. Police confirmed he was left inside alone.
"He’s shivering cold, tears running down his face. He’s red like he’s been crying for a minute," Jordan said.
Jordan said the owner did not arrive with any answers. Amazing Mays Child Care did not answer when FOX6 News showed up Friday, either.
"I felt betrayed. I felt neglected," Jordan said. "It’s dark, it’s cold, he’s crying for his momma, and I'm not there."
Police respond to Amazing Mays Child Care
When it comes to how this happened, Jordan said she’s still in the dark. But she's happy to have her sidekick back.
"I felt like I couldn’t be his superhero," she said. "I grabbed him, and I hugged him tight because the situation could’ve been so much worse."
Jordan said she’s hoping for justice for her child and is currently looking for legal representation.
FOX6 News tried to contact Amazing Mays Child Care several ways Friday, but did not immediately hear back. The owner issued the following statement Saturday – after the story on aired on FOX6:
"I would like to address a situation that occurred last night at Amazing Mays Childcare. During the closing shift, a child was left in the daycare unattended by night shift staff. I was alerted by the child’s aunt an hour later and within about 40 minutes of travel time arrived on scene to unite the child with their parent.
"This was an isolated incident and the child was not harmed.
"As the owner and operator of Amazing Mays Childcare, I take accountability for this terrible incident. At Amazing Mays, we take pride in providing the best care and attention to our children and ensuring a safe and fun environment. As unfortunate as this situation is we are forced to do an immediate closure during the investigation process. We do not have a time limit or direction to where this situation may lead AMCC but we are truly thankful for the families we served in the past 7 years. We are all devastated at this situation and praying that our families find a nice secure daycare for the children in the mean time.
"I would like to extend my sincere apologies to the family and assure all other parents of Amazing Mays Child care."