Infant death at unlicensed Minnesota day care leads to manslaughter charges

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman reportedly running an unlicensed day care out of her Sauk Centre home is facing manslaughter charges after an infant suffocated in an "unsafe sleep environment."

Infant death at unlicensed day care

The backstory:

Janel Kay Dierkhising, 53, is facing two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of operating a day care center without a license. 

According to the complaint, authorities responded to a Sauk Centre home on Nov. 11 for a report of a 3-month-old baby not breathing and found Dierkhising performing CPR on the infant. 

The baby was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later determined the cause of death was "suffocation due to an unsafe sleep environment." The child's mother told authorities the infant had started attending the day care about a week earlier and described him as "happy and healthy" with no underlying health issues.

Dig deeper:

Charges allege Dierkhising told investigators she placed the infant down for a nap in a pack-and-play, propping him up on a nursing pillow and covering him with a blanket. After not hearing him for a period of time, she reportedly found him on his side with his face in the blanket. 

Authorities noted both the pack-and-play and pillow carried warnings against using soft bedding or allowing infants to sleep on such items due to the risk of suffocation. During the investigation, other parents reportedly told authorities they had concerns about sleep practices at the home, including babies sleeping with blankets or on adult beds. 

Dierkhising reportedly told investigators she had been doing in home day care for approximately 10 years while unlicensed.  

Investigators say records show Stearns County Human Services previously contacted Dierkhising in 2019 about licensing requirements after she advertised child care services, outlining when a license would be required. She allegedly responded to the letter indicating she was not running an unlicensed daycare, according to the complaint.

Dierkhising was charged via summons and is scheduled to appear in court on May 11.