Baby found unresponsive in Tunapuna daycare centre

POLICE are investigating the death of seven-month-old Makia Ormsby who was found unresponsive at a daycare centre in Tunapuna on November 18.

A police report said that at 5.45 pm, police received a call about an unresponsive infant at the Future Leaders Day Care Centre in Tunapuna. The owner told police that around 4.30 pm, she bathed and fed Makia who then fell asleep. He was placed on a bed in the living room area.

Around 5.20 pm, Makia’s mother Brandy Ormsby, 25, came to pick him up. A worker went to get the baby but found him unresponsive.

They called the police and officers arrived to see the owner of the daycare on the phone with the ambulance services, being instructed on how to perform CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) on the infant. Police continued performing CPR on Makia and reportedly noted some signs of life.

The baby was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope where he was pronounced dead at 6.45 pm. Newsday called the daycare and a representative said it was closed and will remain closed indefinitely.

Newsday went to Makia’s home on Tuesday to speak with his family but no one answered this reporter's calls. The baby's great grandfather Lloyd Danzell, 90, who lives nearby, described Makia as a “child of laughter.”

Danzell said although he did not interact much with the baby, he knew Makia was not a troublesome baby. “He was no bad child. He was not troublesome or fussy. He was called the laughter child.

“All the people who was here, all the other children, when they heard he had died, they make real noise, they bawled down the place.” Danzell said Makia was an active baby who was never sickly.

“When you see him he was always playing and laughing. He was a joyful baby.” Another relative, whose child also attends the same daycare, shared similar memories of Makia and described him as a smiling, happy baby.

She said the family remains deeply shocked over his sudden death.

An autopsy had been scheduled for later this week to determine cause of death.

This is not the only death involving a child in recent times.

On June 14, two-year-old Xaevi’el Glasgow was found unresponsive when his father arrived to pick him up at a daycare centre. An autopsy revealed he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, but police are still unsure if this was the result of a beating or if he fell.

That matter is still open and investigations are ongoing.

On May 13, a five-month-old baby was also found unresponsive at a daycare in Maraval.

The parents told police they dropped off their son, who was in good health, at the La Seiva Village daycare around 8.30 am. However, they received a call around midday saying the baby was not breathing and was unresponsive. The baby was taken to the Maraval Health Centre but was pronounced dead 15 minutes later.