Nearly two months after a Philadelphia family arrived at their daughter’s day care to pick her up and found the doors locked, police say several facility employees have been arrested. Cameron Banks said he arrived at the New Arisens Childcare Solutions on Whitaker Avenue near Hurley Street in Feltonville about 5:30 p.m. February 1 to pick up his 6-month-old daughter, Amora, but the facility’s doors were locked. The day care wasn’t supposed to close until 6 p.m., leaving Banks both confused and panicked.
The father called multiple numbers, finally getting the attention of police, who helped him get into the day care center. Thankfully, his daughter was alive, but it appeared she’d been forgotten. Three women were recently arrested in connection with the case.
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Banks needed help getting in touch with people.
The father told CBS News in February that he called every number he could think of for help, but no one answered. He contacted police, who met him and the building’s key holder at the facility, but they were unable to open the door. With firefighters’ help, they cut through the metal gate and eventually got inside.
The father thought his daughter would be safe.
He never thought he’d find Amora alone at the day care center. Banks told Fox 29 he felt safe leaving his daughter at New Arisens.
“We were recommended to this day care by a family friend and my sister worked there in the summertime, so we thought we were in good hands and to come out to this is heartbreaking,” he explained.
The facility was dark and empty.
Inside was a foreboding scene.
“Police were able to get into the day care center,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told CBS News. “It was dark. When they got inside, they found the 6-month-old baby girl in the corner asleep in a car seat.”
A blanket was reportedly covering the baby. Prolonged car seat use outside of a vehicle, as well as covering an infant with a blanket, are both considered unsafe sleep situations.
Banks waited for police and firefighters to come back outside. “They walked in and out pretty fast,” Banks said, according to CBS News. “So I thought they were coming to tell us bad news. But then, they actually told us she was inside and she was OK. Happy. There was a whole bunch of crying. Just happy.”
The father doesn't understand what happened.
He told CBS News the facility was supposed to take photos the day Amora was allegedly left inside.
“She had on her first Valentine’s Day onesie, her little heart tutu. It was just a relief to see that she was OK,” he recalled.
After Amora was safely back in her family’s care, police said, Banks and several employees met with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit for questioning.
Three employees were arrested and charged.
Sydia Thomas-Ishman, Gabriela Rivas, and Janae Smith have all been arrested in the last several days, according to a March 26 report from CBS News. Each faces charges of interfering with the welfare of children and could face conspiracy charges.
