Oakland Park day care remains closed after toddler found dead in van

Noah Sneed's body discovered by worker Monday afternoon

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – An Oakland Park day care remained closed Tuesday, a day after the body of a 2-year-old boy was discovered inside a van that was parked outside the facility.

"It's totally unacceptable. Death is never acceptable," Lavonya Roach, whose children attend Ceressa's Daycare & Preschool, said. 

Broward Sheriff's Office deputies said the body of Noah Sneed was found around 3:30 p.m. Monday in a van that was parked outside the day care on Northwest 21st Avenue and Oakland Park Boulevard.

Parents whose children attend the day care were heartbroken and confused. 

"I just want to see my kids and make sure they're OK," one parent said.

Deputies said Noah was brought to the day care in the morning. 

"We know that at some time earlier today, the boy was transported to this facility inside that van," BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion told reporters Monday.

Authorities said a day care worker found Noah’s lifeless body in the afternoon and called 911.

Detectives are investigating how Noah could have been left in the van.

Records show the last Broward County Child Care Licensing and Enforcement Division inspection of the facility was on April 12. 

An inspector reported issues during inspections on Dec. 21, 2018, and July 13, 2018. She wrote some areas were not clean, some toddlers were not wearing shoes, and some staff had not completed training requirements. 

The van was towed away from the scene as evidence and the toddler's body was taken away by the medical examiner, who will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Concepcion said the agency's victims' advocates are offering Noah's mother support and services to help her through this tragic situation. 

Authorities said Noah and his mother were currently living at the Broward Partnership for the Homeless shelter.

"We are saddened by the situation and are providing the mother and her family with the appropriate services," Broward Partnership spokesman Ryon R. Coote said in a statement. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to the mother and her family during this difficult time."

A GoFundMe page has been created to help Noah's mother during her time of need. 


About the Author:

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.