Day care worker charged in hot van death of 2-year-old released from jail on bond

Noah Sneed's family wants answers following arrest of day care worker

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ A day care worker facing charges for the death of a 2-year-old boy who was left in a hot van bonded out of jail early Saturday morning.Ā 

Engrid Thurston, 46, was arrested Friday by Broward Sheriff's Office detectives.Ā 

BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said Thurston faces one count of aggravated manslaughter in the July 29 death of Noah Sneed.

Snead's family continues to mourn the toddler's death,Ā but they're happy that authorities have made an arrest.Ā 

"This was a situation that could have been avoided, if proper procedures and protocol was followed,"Ā Shatavia Symonette, Noah's aunt, told Local 10 News. "Someone is to blame for it. It was a careless mistake, and we just want to make sure that it doesn't happen to anybody else."Ā 

According to deputies, Thurston disengaged a safety alarm on the day care van she was driving the day Noah died.Ā 

The safety alarm is there to prevent a tragedy like this from happening.

It's unclear how long Noah was left inside the van. A medical examiner determined that the child died of hyperthermia.Ā 

One thing family members want to know is why the safety alarm was disabled in the first place.Ā 

"We have no idea [why the alarm was turned off], and those are the questions that we're still asking, and questions that we're trying to figure out now," SymonetteĀ said.


About the Author:

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.