5-month-old child dies after incident at daycare, Ohio cops say. Caretaker charged with murder

A daycare worker faces murder charges after a five-month-old child died in her care, Ohio police said.

Tammra Rose Straughter, 51, of Reynoldsburg was charged with murder and child endangerment, court records show.

According to Reynoldsburg police, the five-month-old boy died on October 9 as a result of an incident while in Straughter’s care.

At the time of the incident, “Straughter was operating a child care facility at his home,” police said.

Straughter told police she laid the “whiny” baby on his back and when she returned, he looked like he was aspirating his vomit, so she tried to clear his airway, WBNS reported.

Paramedics were called to the home following reports of a child not breathing. After an examination, his condition was said to be “normal,” WBNS reported, citing an affidavit.

After being sent home with his mother, the baby was taken to the emergency room and then transported to a hospital, according to the Ohio television station.

The baby – a twin – went into cardiac arrest for 45 minutes and suffered from “multiple devastating brain injuries including bleeding, swelling and displacement of the brain, fractures on both sides of the jaw, bleeding in the eyes, burst lungs, unresponsive pupils, bruising to the scalp, abdomen, chin, neck, back, lower legs, arms, hands, feet and lip,” WBNS reported, citing court documents.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled the baby’s death a homicide and ruled that a head injury was the cause of death.

According to police, Straughter was arrested on February 24.

She is being held in the Franklin County Jail and her arraignment is scheduled for February 28, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

McClatchy News could not find any information about Straughter’s attorney.

Available records do not indicate how many children Straughter was caring for at the time of the incident or whether she was operating her child care services legally.

According to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, there is no record of Straughter being a licensed or certified child care provider.

However, it’s possible that Straughter was still legally caring for children. According to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, in Ohio, no one can care for more than six children in their home without a license, or no more than three children under the age of two.

“If the providers operate legally and without a license, they are not obliged to report to the Ministry for Children and Youth,” said a ministry spokesman.

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