Three Tennessee childcare workers have been indicted after a 6-year-old girl was allegedly left inside a daycare van for hours and later found dead.
Sabrina Powe, 43, Tametria Norry, 49, and Amilya Hardin were charged in connection with the death of Winter Jones, authorities said.
Powe and Norry are being held in the Shelby County Jail on charges including aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide, and destruction of and tampering with government records.
Hardin was also indicted in the case, according to local reports.
The tragedy unfolded on the morning of Aug. 13, when Winter was dropped off at Kid University in Memphis.
The 6-year-old was supposed to be transported from the daycare to Macon-Hall Elementary School.
But authorities say she never made it to school.
That afternoon, Winter was discovered unresponsive inside a van parked outside Kid University.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Temperatures in the Memphis area reached the high 90s that day, according to National Weather Service data reviewed by WMC.
Winter had autism.
Investigators say Norry was the driver of the van, while Powe served as assistant director of Kid University and Hardin worked as an assistant at the childcare facility.
After Winter’s death, the Tennessee Department of Human Services investigated the daycare and reportedly discovered several problems involving its transportation procedures.
Authorities found employees were allegedly failing to properly inspect vehicles after children were unloaded.
Investigators also said transportation logs were not being completed accurately and required walk-throughs meant to ensure no children remained inside the vehicle were not performed.
Winter’s devastated mother, Nakia Cloman, said she received a terrifying phone call from the daycare that day.
According to Cloman, a worker told her, “Winter was left on the bus” and that the little girl was “barely breathing.”
Winter’s father described what happened as an “absolute nightmare.”
He blamed the tragedy on workers who, he said, failed to make sure his daughter was properly cared for.
The indictments come nearly a month after Winter’s death.
It was not immediately clear when all three defendants are scheduled to appear in court.
