Boy's strangling death at Fontana daycare sparks investigation

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A toddler was taken off life support after officials said he was strangled by his necklace while taking a nap at a Fontana daycare center.

Danielle Morin said she dropped off her son deacon Wednesday at Marriott Family Childcare, which is one of two in-home daycares.

When she returned at about 5 p.m. to pick Deacon up she found paramedics working to revive the 18-month-old.

Danielle Morin said the daycare staff told her the amber-teething necklace Deacon was wearing strangled him during his nap.

But Danielle Morin said she believed there was more information that the daycare staff wasn't telling her, including who performed CPR on Deacon.

The child was rushed to Kaiser Permanente hospital in critical condition. Danielle Morin made the decision to remove Deacon from life support at 3:01 p.m. on Monday.

Danielle Morin said police were investigating Deacon's death, but have not provided answers for her, and she wants the daycare shut down.

Morin said she enrolled Deacon in Little Impressions Daycare and Learning Center back in February after interviewing director Deborah Jimenez, during which she was told Marriott Family Childcare is one of two homes they operate out of.

Both businesses are under investigation regarding the incident involving Deacon, according to the California Department of Social Services, which licenses the daycares.

The state agency said Little Impressions, licensed under Jimenez Family Childcare, was cited numerous times in 2015 and placed on probation for three years.

A spokesperson for social services confirmed they were investigating Deacon's death along with the Fontana Police Department.

Danielle Morin said as a single mother, Deacon was her whole life. She was in the process of donating her son's organs.

A GoFundMe page has been established to help pay for Deacon's medical bills and funeral cost. You can learn how to donate here.