KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A mother is left searching for answers after her 11-month-old son died while at a Kansas City, Kan., daycare.
Josie Sembler says she’s devastated by the death of her son, Giovanni Jaraleno. Workers at Advantage Child Care Center rushed to the fire station next door Tuesday seeking help for the 11-month-old after they could not wake him from a nap.
Sembler says when she dropped off Giovanni with his two older brothers Tuesday morning he was in perfect health.
She called the boy a lively, busy baby who kept her hopping. He was starting to walk and talk and had teeth coming in. He was a big boy for his age, wearing clothes sized for a two-year-old and size 4 shoes.
Giovanni turned 11 months old on Tuesday. Sembler says after finishing work, she was on her way to pick up her boys just before 5 p.m. when she received news that she says she just couldn’t believe.
“They tried to wake him up from a nap and he was unresponsive,” she said. “By the time we got to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.”
Sembler says the child care center told her they were checking Giovanni every 15 minutes. But she doubts whether that is true because at the hospital emergency room, she says doctors told her it appeared the baby had been dead for some time.
“The school was like family to us,” Sembler said. “I trusted them. I talked to them like they were family. I never imagined I would get this. I never imagined.”
Sembler hopes autopsy results expected later this afternoon will help explain what happened to her son.
FOX 4 News tried to speak with the operators of Advantage Child Care. A woman said the center would have no comment.
There is a candlelight vigil scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday to remember the little Giovanni. It will take place at 55th and Metropolitan avenues.
