A one-year-old boy has died after his head became lodged in an indoor slide at a rural Missouri daycare last week, police say.
The incident happened Thursday morning at an in-home daycare facility just outside the city limits of Potosi, Missouri.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the toddler slipped through a small opening in a toy slide inside the home. His head became lodged, restricting his airway and causing a loss of oxygen – ultimately killing him.
“It was horrible,” Washington County Sheriff Scott Reed said. Police responded to a call from the daycare reporting “a child not breathing.”
“Two deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) were the first responders on scene and immediately initiated life-saving measures, including CPR,” Reed said in a statement.
When deputies arrived, they immediately began CPR, but the toddler could not be revived.
Reed explained in detail how the child became stuck in the slide.
“It was just two or three steps up to a little platform and then the slide went off the side,” he said. “On the side of the slide there were railings. At the bottom of the railing was an opening about 5 inches tall and this wide. It was big enough for the child to slip down through but not big enough for his head to fit through.”
The daycare was operated out of a woman’s home and was not required to be licensed due to the number of children present, which Reed estimated to be four or five. The identity of the daycare provider was not released.
Several other children were inside the home at the time of the incident, including the provider’s own child, Reed said.
The child has not been publicly identified. Reed said the boy’s family is devastated, and the loss has shaken the entire community.
“These people are well known, well liked,” he said. “This is a fairly small, tight-knit community, and when something happens, it affects everybody.”
The coroner’s preliminary ruling lists the death as accidental. But the investigation remains ongoing. When asked whether the tragedy could have been prevented, Reed declined to speculate.
“I’m sure there is,” he said. “I’m not going to speculate on any of that, because as we all know, the world we live in today, there’s going to be legal action from every direction.”
The investigation is being conducted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Missouri Division of Family Services.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the child’s family, caregivers, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Out of respect for the family and the integrity of the investigation, no further details will be released at this time.”
