Memphis, TN — A heartbreaking daycare tragedy has ended with a 6-year-old girl dead after she was allegedly left inside a childcare van for at least six hours in extreme heat, leading to felony charges against three employees.

Winter Jones, a non-verbal autistic child, died August 13 after being left inside a Kid University van outside the childcare facility in the Cordova neighborhood, according to state investigators.

Winter had been picked up from her home that morning and was supposed to be transported by daycare staff to Macon Hall Elementary School. Instead, the van returned to the childcare center with the little girl still inside.

Investigators later found that required vehicle inspections and van walk-throughs had not been properly conducted. Transportation records were also allegedly inaccurate.

Heat reached dangerous levels as Winter remained in van

The conditions outside that day made the situation even more dangerous.

Temperatures in Memphis climbed into the upper 90s, while the heat index reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit, according to National Weather Service data.

Winter remained inside the vehicle for hours before she was discovered. Her death has since prompted a criminal investigation into the actions of the childcare center employees responsible for transporting and supervising children.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said a grand jury returned indictments against three workers on September 11.

Three daycare employees face felony charges

The three employees charged in connection with Winter’s death are Tametria Norry, the van driver; Sabrina Powe, an assistant director; and Amilya Hardin, a daycare assistant.

Each is facing charges of aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide, and destruction and tampering of governmental records, according to authorities.

Bail for each defendant was set at $100,000. Court records show Norry and Powe were booked on the day the indictments were returned, while Hardin was arrested Monday.

The criminal case now moves forward as prosecutors examine the alleged failures that resulted in Winter being left inside the vehicle.

Kid University permanently closes after tragedy

Kid University has since permanently closed, following the death. The facility’s owner, Dr. Raven Marshall-Lewis, surrendered its license immediately after Winter’s death.

State records indicate the tragedy was the second child fatality connected to a childcare facility operated by Marshall-Lewis. In 2021, a three-month-old child, Colt Adkins, died at the Ivy League Learning Center in Bartlett, Tennessee.

Marshall-Lewis continues to operate six other childcare facilities across Shelby County, according to state records.

Family remembers Winter and demands accountability

The indictments came shortly after Winter’s family held a press conference, less than two weeks after her funeral.

Her father, Bryan Jones, described the loss as an absolute nightmare and spoke about the milestones he will never get to experience with his daughter.

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He said Winter had been making progress despite her autism diagnosis and that her future was taken away because of what he described as absolute negligence.

Winter’s mother, Nakia Cloman, also recalled the devastating moment she learned something had gone terribly wrong.

She said a representative from the facility told her Winter had been left on the bus and was barely breathing. Cloman rushed to the hospital, only to learn that her daughter had already died.

Family may pursue civil case

The criminal indictments have provided the family with an initial sense of accountability, but their fight may not end there.

Family attorney Taurus Bailey said the family is still considering a civil lawsuit and suggested that additional parties could potentially be held responsible.

Bailey said the childcare facility had a responsibility to ensure its transportation system was operating properly but alleged that those safeguards failed.

For Winter’s family, the criminal case now represents one step in seeking answers over how a child could be left inside a sweltering daycare van for hours.

The investigation and legal proceedings are expected to determine what happened inside the facility that day and who should ultimately be held responsible.

What do you think should happen to those responsible for this heartbreaking daycare tragedy? Share your thoughts in the comments.