WEST JORDAN, Utah — A toddler died at a Utah day care center Thursday when an employee accidentally sat on top of the bean bag chair the boy was hiding underneath.
Leonardo Sanchez, 1, was dropped off by his mother at the West Jordan Child Center morning. It would be the last time she saw him alive.
“He was a cute bundle of joy, he brought a lot of love,” said Danielle Sanchez, Leonardo’s mother told FOX13.
West Jordan Police say Leonardo was underneath a bean bag chair when a daycare employee accidentally sat on top of him while reading a book to the rest of the children. Police say the toddler suffocated.
“It just baffles me, makes me wonder, she must not have felt him, she must not have heard him,” Sanchez said.
Police are investigating surveillance video from inside of the daycare. As of Saturday afternoon, the employee is not facing any charges.
The daycare released a statement regarding Leonardo’s death:
“We regret deeply the tragic death of a young toddler at our daycare facility. No words adequately describe the depth of the sorrow we feel. And, of course, we do not pretend to understand how devastating this is for the family. We know the family well, we grieve with them, and we pray that God will provide them the comfort and peace they inevitably will need.”
West Jordan Child Center has been in violation twice in the last five years, FOX13 reports.
The facility received one violation for lack of supervision on their patio area. The other was for having a hole in the fence where a child could have escaped.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Leonardo’s family with funeral expenses.
As of 4 p.m., Saturday, nearly $5,000 had been raised.
Leonardo would have been celebrating his second birthday on Sept. 17.
