NEW YORK – The owner of a Sunrise day care and her daughter, an employee, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the death of a four-year-old boy last month.
Cecily Roberts, 43, and Camille Gordon, 20, were arrested in New York early Friday.
Roberts, the owner of 3 C's Day Academy, had moved to New York and was operating L.R. Academy there since Jordan Coleman's death, said Broward Sheriff's Office deputies. Investigators said L.R. Academy advertised that it provided 24-hour care for children from 6-months to 12-years-old.
On Wednesday, Paris Ward, an employee at the day care, turned herself in on a charge of aggravated manslaughter. She bonded out of jail late Thursday.
According to the arrest report, on August 1, Ward and another employee took Jordan Coleman, 4, and seven other children to a Tamarac apartment complex, but forgot Coleman in the SUV.
Coleman was found unconscious in the SUV about two-and-a-half hours later, investigators said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Ward initially lied about how Coleman became unconscious, telling her coworker and a Broward Sheriff's Office homicide detective the boy collapsed while getting into the SUV, according to the arrest report.
A week after his death, Coleman's family filed a wrongful death suit against 3 C's Day Academy.
Stuart Grossman, the family's attorney, issued a statement about Ward's arrest, saying: "The family and I hope that anyone who bears any responsibility for Jordan's death will be brought to justice."
Coleman's family members said they were not ready for an interview Friday night. Willie Coleman, the boy's grandfather, said emotions were still very raw.
Grossman told Local 10 they are outraged that Roberts and Gordon continued to operate a day care facility after the boy's death.
3 C's Day Academy has been closed since the incident. The day care was under investigation after it was cited for capacity requirements, personnel training, background screening, and general safety requirements since 2011.
Roberts and Gordon both face a charge of aggravated manslaughter. Roberts was also charged with felony child care misrepresentation.