A Missouri day care operator was booked into county jail Monday following the preventable death of an infant entrusted to her.
On March 2 Springfield resident Deborah Lundstrom, who runs a child care facility out of her home, briefly left nine children unsupervised, according to a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE. When she returned to the house about 12 minutes later, an 8-month-old boy whom she had strapped into a carseat before leaving was not breathing.
Lundstrom called 911, but despite first responders’ attempts at CPR, the boy was pronounced dead. The county medical examiner determined he died from asphyxiation, PEOPLE confirms, likely a result of the car seat buckle inhibiting his breathing.
Following an investigation into the incident, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office charged Lundstrom with 11 criminal counts that include involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of the nine children, and operating a child care facility without a license.
It is unclear if she has entered a plea to the charges against her or obtained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.
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The probable cause statement alleges that in an initial interview, Lundstrom claimed she had taken all nine children in her van with her as she went to pick her teenage son up from the nearby high school. When investigators poked holes in her claim, the statement reads, her story changed.
Eventually, authorities say she admitted that she left all nine children at home — ranging in age from infancy to nearly 3 years old — but that she buckled the seven youngest children in their carseats before leaving to prevent them from harm. She said that leaving them behind while she picked up her son from school had become part of her weekday routine, and that her 18-year-old daughter was often at home while she was away, according to the release.
Her daughter was not home on March 2 to help supervise, though, and authorities allege Lundstrom did not make an effort to verify whether her daughter was present before leaving.
Detectives continue to investigate and are asking anyone who has information about this incident to contact the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810. You may also provide information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 417-869-TIPS (8477).
