A mother and daughter accused of operating an unlicensed daycare facility in California were charged with involuntary manslaughter after a 3-month-old child in their care died, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
Authorities were dispatched Friday morning to an address in Royal Oaks, a community near Salinas, where a child was not breathing, the sheriff’s office said. The infant was given life-saving efforts at the scene and was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead a short time later, authorities added.
As many as 30 children of various ages were under the care of Maria Marquez, 62, and daughter Johanna Marquez, 35, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives “were able to gather sufficient details to arrest the two operators of the unlicensed day care business for involuntary manslaughter believed to have resulted in the death of the three-month-old infant,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The suspects remained booked Monday in the Monterey County Jail, and also face charges of felony child endangerment and operating a child day care facility without a license. Their bail was set at $50,000 each. It was not immediately clear if they have legal representation.
The sheriff’s office said Monday its investigation remains ongoing.
The California Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division regulates the number of children permitted at a daycare site and sets certain requirements for staff, including pediatric CPR and first-aid training and child development courses.
Child fatalities in licensed childcare centers in California are rare, with three reported from 2017 to 2023, according to state social services data.
“There are certain trainings that the individuals that work and operate those facilities have to go through, and they’re constantly being inspected by the state licensing board,” Sheriff’s Commander Andres Rosas told NBC affiliate KSBW in Salinas. “So those standards that they have to meet are what give you a little bit more peace of mind that your child is safe at this particular location.”
