Toddler Found Dead in Day Care Van

[Madame Butterfly 0]

Toddler Found Dead in Day-Care Center Van

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 7) - A 3-year-old boy died after being left in a day-care van for hours while the temperature was in the 90s, and the driver was charged with manslaughter, police said Tuesday.

 

Marcellus Johnson, was to have been dropped off at his home in Little Rock around 3 p.m. Monday, but van driver Rancocas Foreman skipped the boy's stop, went home and parked and locked the van before leaving for his second job, authorities said.

 

Marcellus' parents called police after 8 p.m., and around the same time Foreman remembered the boy, went home to check the van and found Marcellus' body, police spokesman Sgt. Terry Hastings said.

 

While officers were investigating at the Child Care Center of Arkansas, Foreman arrived and told police "he knows where the child is and the child is not OK," Hastings said.

 

Foreman, 22, of Little Rock, was charged with manslaughter because he could have easily seen the boy in the van, Hastings said. The temperature reached 94 degrees Monday afternoon in Little Rock.

 

"The child was clearly visible from the driver's seat," with his legs dangling in the aisle, Hastings said.

 

Marcellus was to have been dropped off first on Foreman's route, but Foreman had trouble making a left turn from a busy street and went on to his next stop and did not return, Hastings said.

 

Foreman was freed on $10,000 bail. He didn't have a listed phone number, and a message left with a woman identified by police as Foreman's live-in girlfriend was not returned Tuesday.

 

The day-care center's owner, relinquished his license Tuesday. "I just don't want to do this anymore. It's such a tragedy," said Bill Lewellen.

 

"This is an incident the center accepts responsibility for, but it didn't occur at the center itself, and, believe it or not, it was an excellent center," Lewellen said.

 

Hastings said he had no explanation for why there was about a five-hour gap between the time the boy was to have been dropped off and police being called.

 

 

06-07-05 21:42 EDT

[Takara_Soong 4]

That is a tragic story. I wish it was the first time I've read about an incident like this but it's not. :(

[MrPsychic 1]

If it was up to me, I would leave that person in a van in the heat.

[KIMIMELA 1]

That is pathetic! That person should not even be looking after kids if it's not possible to do so. I did two weeks of work experience in a kindergarten- and I managed to get 20 kids in and out of the mini-bus, and some of them were younger than 3! It was down to one person.... that death was on purpose!

[Wishfire 2]

That's so horrible! But xXTrekkieCaraXx, that's a pretty harsht hing to say. Sad as it may be, there are people who get high at work, and they do stupid things. This may be such a case.

[Odie 0]

As horrible as it sounds it happens everyday. It was just carelessness on the driver. He should have seen the child.

[KIMIMELA 1]

That's so horrible! But xXTrekkieCaraXx, that's a pretty harsht hing to say.

329480[/snapback]

 

How can you not know a kid is in there, man?!

[deadmeatsecurityguy 0]

What kind of justce are you looking for. The man will most likely be convicted of manslaughter. I don't know if manslaughter has grades of degrees in Arkansas. But he's going down for a while.

[Wishfire 2]

That's so horrible! But xXTrekkieCaraXx, that's a pretty harsht hing to say.

329480[/snapback]

 

How can you not know a kid is in there, man?!

329514[/snapback]

 

I don't know. But like I said, if drugs were nvolved then he might not have realized the kid was there. If he was high, and the poor kid fell asleep, and the guy (because he was high) neglected to double check, that's how he might not have known.

 

I'm not saying that this is the case, and I'm not trying to defend this guy. I'm just saying that some people do incredibly idiotic things.

[Madame Butterfly 0]

I guess the thing that runs through my head isn't about the driver, it's about that poor child.

 

Children are very trusting and hopeful.

 

Can you imagine sitting there in the car, waiting for him to come back, the heat making you drowsy or even ill?

 

Wanting something to drink, slowly dehydrating?

 

This guy deserves to die in the same manner that poor child did.

 

Lock him in a car, set it out in the desert and let him fry slowly and painfully.

[Ace 0]

There are no winners in this situation, obviously. I feel for the young boy's family. I can't imagine the pain they're going through right now.

 

However, I do think some of you are being incredibly harsh on the driver without all of the facts. Unfortunately, these things do happen sometimes. That's no excuse, but nonetheless.

 

There are mothers and fathers who accidentally lose track of their children all the time. That doesn't mean they love them any less. Parents are humans too, and sometimes the consequences are horrific.

 

For all we know, this van driver is going through tremendous pain right now as well. It's not like he did this on purpose, and he knows he can never replace the life of this little child.

 

The law affecting the leaving of a child in a car unattended was first made here in Kentucky after a babysitter left a boy in her hot car while she shopped. That's both neglect and murder.

 

If this man exhibited the same purposeful neglect, then he doesn't deserve my defense. However, don't hang him until you know all the facts. He deserves to be punished, but mistakes, even awful and hard to believe ones, happen.

 

 

What I really want to know is why was there a 5 hour gap between the incident and the call to the police...

Edited June 8, 2005 by Ace

[Wishfire 2]

What I really want to know is why was there a 5 hour gap between the incident and the call to the police...

329544[/snapback]

 

Yeah, the does call for a definite "WTF?!" I would've called after a half-hour, wondering what the hold-up was. I mean, what possible reason do the parents have to sit around waiting for 5 whole hours before realizing that something was amiss?

[Kor37 9]

I also feel for the family of that poor child. But I also agree that, based on the facts given, this does not appear to be a malicious act by the driver. He worked 2 jobs and was probably tired all the time which leads to carelessness. No mention was made of any criminal background. He appears to be a hard working guy who is guilty of carelessness to the extreme. I also take note of the fact that when he discovered what he did, he did not try to run or anything. He himself reported it. The real mystery is why the parents waited 5 hours to report their missing child. Something funny is up with that too.

[Madame Butterfly 0]

I think the issue being missed is that this man was being paid to be responsible for LIFE.

 

The life of a very small child who relies on adults to get him to where he is supposed to be in a safe fashion.

 

Instead the kid is dead because this guy didn't have the patience to wait to turn and make his stop and make certain he got home safely.

 

I helped a girlfriend with babysitting her child while she did something similar. It was routine once she finished her job that she make sure that the van was completely empty, nothing left behind.

 

how could he not even sense the presence of the kid in the automobile with him?

[Kor37 9]

Its pretty stupid, thats for sure and I'm sure the guy will have to pay the price for his carelessness.