BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Brooklyn Center, Minnesota in-home daycare provider is facing a manslaughter charge after a criminal complaint alleges she waited more than 20 minutes to call 911 after finding an infant not breathing.
Narcisa De Jesus Morales Deleg, 58, was charged on Tuesday with one count of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the infant's death in 2025.
Infant dies after daycare incident
The backstory:
Brooklyn Center police responded to a residence on June 30, 2025, for a report of a baby not breathing.
Officers found the 7-month-old boy in distress, and paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he was intubated. Doctors later reported finding brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen, according to the complaint.
Despite medical treatment, the infant died at the hospital on July 15.
Investigation into in-home daycare provider
Timeline:
Deleg told investigators she was providing childcare for multiple children at the time.
According to the complaint, Deleg said the infant took a bottle around 2 p.m. and slept until about 4:20 p.m. She claimed she then gave him a bottle and left the room for about five to 10 minutes.
Deleg reportedly told investigators she found the infant sitting in a baby swing not breathing around 4:40 p.m., but the 911 call was not made until 5:03 p.m., according to court records.
Investigators reviewed Deleg's electronic devices and found that during the roughly 20-minute period before 911 was called, she was allegedly texting and sending messages on Facebook Messenger to family members and parents of other children in her care. The messages continued until 4:58 p.m., according to the complaint.
Dig deeper:
The infant's mother told investigators that Deleg would typically bring the child out to her car when she arrived for pickup. That day, however, Deleg did not answer her phone and eventually came to the door holding the infant, who was not breathing.
The mother said she had to tell Deleg to call 911, and that Deleg reportedly questioned why she should call, according to the complaint.
Doctor talks delay in calling 911
What they're saying:
A child abuse pediatrician involved in the infant's care told investigators she was concerned the baby may have stopped breathing because of choking or positional asphyxia.
Court documents state the doctor’s concerns about choking were based on information that the infant had been given a bottle in a propped position, despite his mother claiming he was unable to hold a bottle himself.
The doctor reported the lack of oxygen caused brain damage and that the 15 to 20-minute delay in calling 911 had a "significant impact" on the infant's chances of a meaningful recovery because "with each passing minute, the damage to the brain was getting worse," the charges read.
The doctor said regardless of what caused the infant to stop breathing, the delay in calling 911 was a factor in their eventual death, according to the complaint.
What's next:
FOX 9 reached out to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families to determine whether Deleg was a licensed child care provider.
Deleg was charged by summons and is not currently in custody. Her first court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
The Source: This story uses information from a Hennepin County criminal complaint.