Toddler dies inside van outside Oakland Park day care

2-year-old boy found Monday afternoon by employee, deputies say

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff's Office is investigating after a 2-year-old boy was found dead Monday after being left inside a van outside an Oakland Park day care center.

Deputies responded to the scene at Ceressa's Day Care in the 3100 block of N.W. 21st Avenue. Police tape surrounded the building's parking lot.

A white van with yellow tarps draped over it could be seen by Sky 10 as it was above the scene.

According to BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion, the child was discovered inside the van by a day care employee.

"At this point, we don't know why the boy remained inside the vehicle, but evidently, he ultimately succumbed to the environment," she said.  

Concepcion said the agency's victims' advocates were with the mother, offering her support and services to help her through this tragic situtation. 

Detectives are interviewing employees at the day care to find out how the child got left behind in the van. It's unclear whether anyone will be charged. 

The center passed its most recent inspection in April, but was found to be non-compliant in several areas during its Dec. 2018 inspection. The center was not in compliance with regards to aspects of personnel training at the time.

Temperatures in the Oakland Park area reached 91 degrees on Monday. 

Last week, twin 1-year-olds died when their father left them inside a car in New York City. Juan Rodriguez said he thought he had dropped the children off at day care before going to work.


About the Author
Alex Finnie headshot

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

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