In Pella, Iowa, daycare provider Valerie Lynn Wackerly has been charged in the death of a toddler. On Thursday, Wackerly entered a guilty plea and her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 5th.
According to KCCI, Valerie Lynn Wackerly, 32, of Pella, Iowa was charged for involuntary manslaughter of 17-month-old Amelia Smith. The child was left in a dark room, in a car seat, while napping. At that point, police said, Wackerly left the residence and had an uncertified day care provider in charge.
On June 10, the child was found unresponsive and was taken to Pella Regional Health Center and then flown by Life Flight to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, according sources. Amelia Smith passed away at the hospital.
Police stated her death was due to mechanical or positional asphyxia by the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Only after a 7 month investigation was Wackerly charged.
According to www.childcareaware.org:
According to Childwelfare.gov, in 2006 about 5,321 daycare providers were perpetuators of some form of child abuse. Of those numbers: