LENOIR, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- New details are emerging after the tragic death of a 16-month-old girl at a Lenoir daycare, as a newly released 911 call and court documents shed light on what unfolded during the child’s first, and only, day at the center.
Alexandra Lee Coffey, 29, has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and released from the Caldwell County Detention Center this week after posting a $500,000 bond.
"We have a child that is not breathing…"
In a 911 call released to Queen City News on Friday, the daycare director’s voice can be heard requesting medical help.
"We have a child that is not breathing and she’s turning blue," she tells the dispatcher.
PREVIOUS: Lenoir daycare worker bonds out of jail as court docs reveal more about toddler’s deathDaycare employees began CPR before emergency responders arrived. The child, identified in court records as M.A.M., was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead at 3:19 p.m.
The panic in the 911 call paints a grim picture. Staff can be heard counting chest compressions as the dispatcher tries to walk them through life-saving steps.
"She is cold and I don’t have a pulse," someone is heard saying. "Her jaw is locked...her tongue is thick...I can’t open her mouth."
At one point during the 911 call, one person reveals that they didn’t know the child’s name, because it was her very first day at the daycare.
What went wrong?
According to court documents, the toddler was put down for a nap at 11:45 a.m. on Monday, May 19. Staff found her unresponsive around 2:30 p.m., nearly three hours later.
Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of death and have obtained a search warrant to collect items from the scene, including a multi-colored blanket, a white mattress cover, and a DVR believed to hold surveillance footage.
Listen to the full 911 audio below. Content Warning: The following includes audio from a 911 call related to the death of a child. Discretion is strongly advised.
Daycare ordered to shut down
The NC Department of Health and Human Services ordered Creative Beginnings of Lenoir to shut its doors on Wednesday. Although the daycare had passed its most recent inspection, previous reports reveal violations related to safe sleep practices and incomplete staff training.
An inspection last August found that sleep mats were not properly spaced, violating safe sleep requirements, a regulation that has become all the more critical in light of the child's death.
PREVIOUS: Daycare shut down, employee arrested after toddler’s death in LenoirCoffey made her first court appearance on Thursday before bonding out.
William Hamby, a neighbor who said he helped raise Coffey, came to her defense when speaking with Queen City News this week.
“She’s just a good girl, and I’m proud to call her my granddaughter,” he said. “She is not capable of anything like that. If I had children now, I would not be afraid to leave them with her.”
Anyone with further information on this case is asked to contact the Lenoir Police Department at 828-757-2100 or Crime Stoppers at 828-758-8300.
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