AMAREON WILLIAMS - 5 yo (6/2014) - Michigan City IN

Day care where boy hanged self ordered closed

By Associated Press
Published: June 12, 2014, 9:10 pm

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has ordered the closure of a Michigan City day care center where a 5-year-old boy died after accidentally hanging himself with a jump rope.

The action against Tricia’s Playhouse followed an investigation Tuesday night in which the agency found the center was “in violation of supervision regulations” at the time Amareon Williams was injured.

LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said Amareon died Monday from asphyxiation due to hanging after getting caught in a jump rope left hanging over an outside play fort. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Tricia’s Playhouse has 90 days to appeal the closure, WSBT-TV reported. If not, the day care will remain closed for that length of time, after which FSSA may choose to extend the closure.

Day care owner Tricia Calvin declined to comment on the closure.

The licensed day care was on probationary status at the time and undergoing a plan of correction after an April 21 inspection found several violations, FSSA spokeswoman Marni Lemons told WSJV-TV. The problems included failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect, harsh punishment and a locked exit.

Calvin opened the day care in May 2012, but had no violations until April 2014.

Before it was closed, Tricia’s Playhouse was receiving federal money to care for low-income children. It is no longer eligible to receive those funds.

The LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the death.

Michigan City is about 30 miles west of South Bend.

http://wishtv.com/2014/06/12/day-care-where-boy-hanged-self-ordered-closed/

Autopsy: Boy accidentally hanged himself

June 10, 2014 9:00 pm  
Stan Maddux Times Correspondent

MICHIGAN CITY | Authorities ruled Tuesday the death of a 5-year-old boy at a Michigan City day care facility was accidental.

Amareon Williams, of 101 Superior St., somehow got tangled in a rope and was found hanging at Tricia's Playhouse and Daycare at 1824 E. Michigan Boulevard after noon on Monday.

LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said the boy was on a play fort that had a jump rope draped over the top.

Somehow, the rope got wrapped around the boy's neck and he died from asphyxiation, according to a ruling Tuesday after a forensic examination of the body.

"Just a terrible circumstance," Sullivan said.

He said officials have yet to determine how long the boy had been hanging before he was discovered.

LaPorte County Prosecutor Bob Szilagyi said two other boys saw Williams put the rope over his neck.

Amareon Williams then came partially down the slide with one of the ends tied to the apparatus.

Szilagyi said the boys thought Williams was pretending after not moving, then realized something was wrong after removing the rope and trying to push him further up or down the slide.

"They thought he was playing dead or something," Szilagyi said.

Szilagyi said it's not known if Williams fell with the rope around his neck or went down the slide not realizing the danger.

The day care workers were inside taking care of some babies but checking on the boys periodically by looking out the windows, Szilagyi said.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/michigan-city/autopsy-boy-accidentally-hanged-himself/article_9465dada-b1a7-5dba-a7fd-b4a125aed08c.html